tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39591955333513188902024-03-05T16:22:35.871-08:00missions247missions resources, thoughts on missions, theologyJonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17073625555912048514noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3959195533351318890.post-65601032664730799402012-02-15T19:11:00.001-08:002012-02-15T19:11:58.974-08:00<div style="color: #660000; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Did George Muller Really Live By Faith?</b></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2o_gb7-G9QQruF4p5-Rctxbm5GZVwILLSIf7UtzlwGPuQeHKItt-72Z1sbXizDLaP9h0Inys0cPVC-FoxwTCw0IxaES46wgAiW4yI7d38E_bkghcsGs3Sw-3WQk2kBnMyt25vVNOfRJi/s1600/prayer1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2o_gb7-G9QQruF4p5-Rctxbm5GZVwILLSIf7UtzlwGPuQeHKItt-72Z1sbXizDLaP9h0Inys0cPVC-FoxwTCw0IxaES46wgAiW4yI7d38E_bkghcsGs3Sw-3WQk2kBnMyt25vVNOfRJi/s200/prayer1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Over the years many have held George Muller up as an example of someone who lived by faith. It was often said (by himself and many others as well) that he maintained the work of the Orphanages and the Scripture Knowledge Institute "by prayer alone, never asking anyone for help".<br />
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For example, in the introduction to the "<b>Autobiography of George Muller</b>" we read that Muller:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Wholly destitute of funds, is
supporting and educating seven hundred orphans, providing everything needful
for their education, is in himself an extensive Bible and Tract and Missionary
Society, the work is daily increasing in magnitude, and the means for carrying
it on are abundantly supplied, while he is connected with no particular denomination,
is aided by no voluntary association, and he has asked the assistance of not a
single individual. <i><b>He has asked no one but God,</b></i> and all his wants have been
regularly supplied</span> </blockquote>
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Now, right from the start I'll say that I definitely think he was an amazing man of faith. And I think it was incredible what God did through Muller's life and fantastic how he was able to depend on God to help so many thousands of lives.<br />
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But - from a missionaries perspective - I think there's more to the story than we sometimes see. I've often seen people today who feel called to missions either (a) feel guilty because they need to raise funds to work overseas...and therefore don't feel as spiritual as Muller, or (b) shy away from raising funds at all, trying to imitate Muller's faith (without always seeing his results!)<br />
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The interesting thing is that if you read Muller's autobiography, you quickly notice that while, technically, he told no one but God the needs that he had, there were many ways he used to make that need indirectly known, and to raise support.<br />
<br />
For example,<br />
<b>1.</b> <b>"The Box"</b> - Muller was also a pastor and lived by faith for his support (in contrast to the many pastors who charged "rent" for their pews in the church). He felt renting out pews was contrary to Scripture and instead put up a box in the church for people to put in their freewill offerings. This was a radical step for the times. But it was also a continual reminder to the people that their pastor was depending on God (and indirectly on them) for support. Every week they saw the box and were reminded of this fact. He states this in chapter 4 of his autobiography:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I read Philippians 4 and told the saints that if they still had a desire to do something towards my support, by voluntary gifts, I had no objection to receive them, though ever so small, either in money or provisions...For these reasons especially, there was a box put up in the chapel, over which was written that whoever had a desire to do something towards my support might put his offering into the box.</blockquote>
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<b>2. </b><b>His "Narratives"</b> - Muller started writing his autobiography and published it within two years of starting his orphanage ministry. (The first part was printed in August 1837 and covered what was to become the first 8 chapters of his present autobiography. He continued to publish many additions to it every few years). Not only did the sales of his narrative bring in a little support, but his book let everyone know that he was living by faith and would have served as indirect encouragement that they could (if they so felt led) support his ministry like the many dozens of people he had written about.<br />
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<b>3. Corporate Prayer Meetings</b> - Muller began meeting daily with his staff (those that worked with him in the orphanages, etc) to pray for the needs that they faced in their work (see chapter 12). So he changed from saying "I told no one but God" to "<i><b>we </b></i>told no one but God" about the needs. While I agree that this still required much faith, the reality is (as told in his autobiography) that it was often the workers themselves, who knew of and saw the financial needs, that gave out of their own money to help the work.<br />
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The reason I bring this up is so that missionaries who do raise support do not feel discouraged or unspiritual for using various means to make their needs known. Obviously, our Heavenly Father knows what we need, He is the one that we go to first, and it is through persistent believing prayer that God can move the hearts of men and women to support the work. But we also don't despise means for communicating the message - Muller used his narratives, and many today use newsletters; Muller had a box in the back of the church (and orphanages) and some today have "boxes" on websites, allowing donors to give.<br />
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The reason Muller wrote the narratives was to encourage faith and stir the church to attempt great things for God through faith - not to discourage those stepping out in faith! So yes, Muller lived by faith and it's my prayer that more and more will likewise live radical, prayerful, faith-filled lives as they attempt to see God's kingdom impact the nations!<br />
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<u><b>Kindle Availability:</b></u></div>
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George Muller's<b> "Answers to Prayer"</b> is available in these Kindle eBooks:</div>
<ul style="font-family: inherit;">
<li><i><b>The George Muller Collection - just <span style="color: #660000;">$2.00<span style="color: black;">!</span></span></b><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
(Features Muller's Autobiography, Answers to Prayer, and Counsel To Christians)</span></span><b><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></b></i></li>
<li><i><b>The Top 7 PRAYER Classics - just <span style="color: #660000;">$4.99<span style="color: black;">!</span></span></b></i><i><b><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: black;"> <br />
</span></span></b><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: black;">(Features Muller's "Answers to Prayer" as well as other classics by: D. L. Moody, Andrew Murray, R.A. Torrey, Rosalind Goforth, E.M. Bounds & Madame Jeanne Guyon)</span></span></i></li>
</ul>
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<i><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></i>Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17073625555912048514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3959195533351318890.post-52333638243558649422011-11-07T12:43:00.000-08:002012-02-15T19:12:51.485-08:00<div style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>GIFT IDEAS FOR MISSIONARIES! </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: grey; font-family: Arial;"><b>Below are a few practical and useful gifts for the
missionaries you love and support!</b></span><br />
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<table background="border=0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" class="hsb" height="2394" style="width: 699px;"><tbody>
<tr><td colspan="4" height="78" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="606"><span class="style5"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial;"></span></span><b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-large;">1. </span></b>
<b style="color: #cc0000;"> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">
<a href="http://www.missiological.com/Images_Missions%20resources,%20cheap%20missions%20books,%20missions%20music,%20missions%20pictures,%20missions%20powerpoints,%20resources%20for%20missionaries/moneygift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img align="right" border="0" height="152" src="http://www.missiological.com/Images_Missions%20resources,%20cheap%20missions%20books,%20missions%20music,%20missions%20pictures,%20missions%20powerpoints,%20resources%20for%20missionaries/moneygift.jpg" width="231" /></a></span><span class="style5"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Financial
Support</span></span></b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;">It may sound
boring, but the reality is that missionaries are able to
stay overseas because of the support of caring people like
you. So a great gift to give at Christmas (or any
other time) is to begin support or send extra support. </span></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>Here are a
couple ways you could do that:</b><br />
<b> a.</b> If you haven't sent support before, let
them know<br />
that as a Christmas gift
you're going to start this<br />
year! Either a
one-time gift, or something small<br />
each month goes a loooong
way!<br />
<br />
<b>b. </b> If you already support, consider
increasing your support <br />
by $5, 10 or 20 dollars a month<br />
<br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">
</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="6" height="45" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="400"><hr />
</td>
</tr>
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<td align="center" colspan="2" height="45" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="73"><b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-large;">2.</span></b></td>
<td align="left" colspan="4" height="45" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="606"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">
</span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial;"><b><span class="style1">Mail them
something</span></b><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;">-
</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">It's always
a wonderful thing to <br />receive mail from "home," so why
not bless them with a <br />parcel filled with thoughtful
little things? Some ideas:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">
Magazines (they're small and easy to mail)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">A book
or CD</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Hot
chocolate packets</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Food
mixes (salad dressing, gravy, icing,
etc).</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">
Something small for the kids</span></li>
</ul>
<a href="http://www.missiological.com/Images_Missions%20resources,%20cheap%20missions%20books,%20missions%20music,%20missions%20pictures,%20missions%20powerpoints,%20resources%20for%20missionaries/parcel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="right" border="0" height="139" src="http://www.missiological.com/Images_Missions%20resources,%20cheap%20missions%20books,%20missions%20music,%20missions%20pictures,%20missions%20powerpoints,%20resources%20for%20missionaries/parcel.jpg" width="179" /></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<br />
<br />
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<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">* <b>
It's usually best to email or call them first to see
what they <br /> need. Some countries have restrictions
on what can be <br /> sent in.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">*
Usually it's best</span></b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>
NOT to send <u>electronics</u>
(unless they ask <br /> for it)...as often they will have to pay up
to 60% import duty <br /> on it!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: red;">* Be
careful what you send if they live in a </span><u style="color: red;">Restricted
Access </u><span style="color: red;"><br /> </span><u style="color: red;"><span style="background-color: white; color: white;"></span>Nation</u><span style="color: red;">! </span>They could get in big trouble
if you include something <br /> overtly Christian! Ask
before sending anything of that nature.</span></b></span><br />
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<td align="center" colspan="6" height="45" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="679"><hr />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="2" height="45" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="73"><b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-large;"> 3.</span></b></td>
<td align="left" colspan="4" height="45" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="606"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <b style="color: #cc0000;"><span class="style1">Amazon Gift
Certificate</span></b> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">
- <span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;">If the missionary you support lives overseas,
it may be difficult or costly to mail them something.
Why not try sending them a gift certificate instead?
Nowadays most missionaries have access to the internet
and can easily buy/download gifts online. So go
ahead, get them a $25 or $50 gift certificate and
rest assured that they'll be able to get themselves something
useful...and without waiting months for the mail to
arrive!</span></span><br />
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Amazon
gift certificate </b>- with an Amazon certificate they
can download digital CD's and books instantly! </span><br />
<br />
<iframe border="0" frameborder="0" height="250" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=wwwmissiologi-20&o=1&p=12&l=ur1&category=gift_certificates&banner=127JF9E4530CSFRCY4R2&f=ifr" style="border: none;" width="300"></iframe>
</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="6" height="45" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="689"><hr />
<div align="left">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="2" height="111" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="73"><b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-large;">4.</span></b></td>
<td colspan="2" height="111" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="481"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial;"><b>Audio Book certificate
or subscription</b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> -
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">At <b>Audible.com</b> they can download their favorite Christian
audio book or sermon series. Especially for those that
don't have access to a Christian bookstore, this makes a
great gift idea! There's <i><b>no mailing, no waiting</b></i> - they
can instantly download and enjoy their favorite author!</span></span><span style="font-size: small;">
<b>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Some of their
available titles:</span></b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">John
Maxwell - </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-4230555-10273919?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.audible.com%2Fadbl%2Fstore%2Fwelcome.jsp%3Fsource_code%3DCOMA0216WS042109%26entryRedirect%3D%2Fentry%2Foffers%2FproductPromo2.jsp%26entryParams%3D%5EproductID%7EBK_TNWD_000107&cjsku=BK_TNWD_000107" target="_blank">
<u>Leadership Gold</u></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://www.lduhtrp.net/image-4230555-10273919" width="1" /></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">
</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Elizabeth Elliot <span style="font-size: xx-small;">-
</span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-4230555-10273919?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.audible.com%2Fadbl%2Fstore%2Fwelcome.jsp%3Fsource_code%3DCOMA0216WS042109%26entryRedirect%3D%2Fentry%2Foffers%2FproductPromo2.jsp%26entryParams%3D%5EproductID%7EBK_HOVE_000015&cjsku=BK_HOVE_000015" target="_blank">
<u><span style="font-family: Arial;"> Through Gates of Splendor</span></u></a></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Bill
Hybels -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></span>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-4230555-10273919?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.audible.com%2Fadbl%2Fstore%2Fwelcome.jsp%3Fsource_code%3DCOMA0216WS042109%26entryRedirect%3D%2Fentry%2Foffers%2FproductPromo2.jsp%26entryParams%3D%5EproductID%7EBK_ZOND_000672&cjsku=BK_ZOND_000672" target="_blank">
<u><span style="font-family: Arial;">Courageous Leadership</span></u></a></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Robert
Coleman -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-4230555-10273919?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.audible.com%2Fadbl%2Fstore%2Fwelcome.jsp%3Fsource_code%3DCOMA0216WS042109%26entryRedirect%3D%2Fentry%2Foffers%2FproductPromo2.jsp%26entryParams%3D%5EproductID%7EBK_HOVE_000058&cjsku=BK_HOVE_000058" target="_blank">
<u><span style="font-family: Arial;"> Master Plan of Evangelism</span></u></a></span></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">A few
other titles include:</span></b></td>
<td colspan="2" height="111" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="130"> <a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-4230555-10365040">
<img alt="1 FREE Audiobook RISK-FREE from Audible" border="0" height="125" src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4230555-10365040" width="125" /></a></td>
</tr>
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<td align="center" height="49" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="73"><br /></td>
<td align="center" colspan="2" height="49" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="142"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4230555-10273919?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.audible.com%2Fadbl%2Fstore%2Fwelcome.jsp%3Fsource_code%3DCOMA0216WS042109%26entryRedirect%3D%2Fentry%2Foffers%2FproductPromo2.jsp%26entryParams%3D%5EproductID%7EBK_HOVE_000264&cjsku=BK_HOVE_000264" target="_blank">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><img alt="God's Smuggler" border="0" src="http://www.audible.com/audiblewords/content/bk/hove/000264/full_image.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="1" src="http://www.lduhtrp.net/image-4230555-10273919" width="1" />
<br />
Brother Andrew:<br />
God's Smuggler</span></span></td>
<td align="center" colspan="2" height="49" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="172"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #666666;"> </span><a href="http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-4230555-10273919?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.audible.com%2Fadbl%2Fstore%2Fwelcome.jsp%3Fsource_code%3DCOMA0216WS042109%26entryRedirect%3D%2Fentry%2Foffers%2FproductPromo2.jsp%26entryParams%3D%5EproductID%7EBK_TNWD_000018&cjsku=BK_TNWD_000018" target="_blank"><span style="color: #666666;"><img alt="Jesus Among Other Gods" border="0" src="http://www.audible.com/audiblewords/content/bk/tnwd/000018/full_image.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color: #666666;"><img border="0" height="1" src="http://www.lduhtrp.net/image-4230555-10273919" width="1" /><br />
Ravi Zacharias:<br />
Jesus Among Other God's</span></span></td>
<td align="center" height="49" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="174"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #666666;"> </span><a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-4230555-10273919?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.audible.com%2Fadbl%2Fstore%2Fwelcome.jsp%3Fsource_code%3DCOMA0216WS042109%26entryRedirect%3D%2Fentry%2Foffers%2FproductPromo2.jsp%26entryParams%3D%5EproductID%7EBK_HOVE_000098&cjsku=BK_HOVE_000098" target="_blank"><span style="color: #666666;"><img alt="Treasure Principle: Unlocking the Secrets of Joyful Giving" border="0" src="http://www.audible.com/audiblewords/content/bk/hove/000098/full_image.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color: #666666;"><img border="0" height="1" src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4230555-10273919" width="1" /><br />
Randy Alcorn:<br />
The Treasure Principle</span></span></td>
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<hr />
<div align="left">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="2" height="92" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="73"><b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-large;">5.</span></b></td>
<td colspan="4" height="92" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="606"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">
</span><b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial;">Kindle
or other E-Book Reader. </span></b>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">Missionaries
travel a LOT and its always hard to lug boxes of books
around. If you know they'll be home sometime soon, why
don't you surprise them with an E-Book reader? It'll
cut down their moving expenses and will allow them to
download great books instantly - even when they're overseas!</span></span><br />
<div align="right">
<a href="http://www.missiological.com/images/missions-quotation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><br />
<table border="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width="380"><b style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</b><b>
<span style="color: #336699; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #336699; font-family: Arial;">
"Where I live there are no Christian Bookstores.
But now with E-Books I can download and read <br />a
new book instantly! No waiting or
shipping!"</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">
</span></b>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><i>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> - missionary from Eastern
Europe -</span></i></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="text-align: left;" width="16"><br /></td>
<td style="text-align: left;">
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.missiological.com/Images_Missions%20resources,%20cheap%20missions%20books,%20missions%20music,%20missions%20pictures,%20missions%20powerpoints,%20resources%20for%20missionaries/kindle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="right" border="0" height="80" src="http://www.missiological.com/Images_Missions%20resources,%20cheap%20missions%20books,%20missions%20music,%20missions%20pictures,%20missions%20powerpoints,%20resources%20for%20missionaries/kindle.jpg" width="162" /></a> <iframe border="0" frameborder="0" height="125" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=wwwmissiologi-20&o=1&p=21&l=ur1&category=kindle&banner=0RAH4NSD1J4RGX4N6SG2&f=ifr" style="border: none;" width="125"></iframe>
</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="6" height="61" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="689"><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<hr style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;" />
<div align="left">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="2" height="167" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="73"><b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-large;">6.</span></b></td>
<td colspan="2" height="167" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="481"><b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial;">Magazine Subscription</span></b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> - <span style="font-size: small;">
You can bless them with a year long subscription to a
magazine they'll love! Browse some of the most
popular at Amazon's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Furl%3Dsearch-alias%253Dus-magazines-tree%26field-keywords%3DChristian%2BMagazines%26x%3D0%26y%3D0&tag=wwwmissiologi-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325"><u>Christian Magazines</u></a><u><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwmissiologi-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></u>
page. A few magazines will even mail overseas.<br />
<br />
Some of the most relevant
are:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000060MJC?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwmissiologi-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B000060MJC">
<u>Christianity Today</u></a><u><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwmissiologi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000060MJC" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" />
</u></span>
</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000060MH4?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwmissiologi-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B000060MH4">
<u>Leadership</u></a><u><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwmissiologi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000060MH4" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" />
</u></span>
</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0045W9REE?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwmissiologi-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B0045W9REE">
<u>Guideposts</u></a><u><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwmissiologi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0045W9REE" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" />
</u></span>
</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000DH8GV?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwmissiologi-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B0000DH8GV">
<u>World</u></a><u><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwmissiologi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0000DH8GV" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" />
</u></span>
</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006K8N4?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwmissiologi-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B00006K8N4">
<u>Children's Ministry Magazine (Christian Education)</u></a><u><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwmissiologi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00006K8N4" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></u></span>
</li>
</ul>
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=wwwmissiologi-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000060MJC&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=wwwmissiologi-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000060MH4&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="color: grey;">If you have questions or issues about magazine
subscriptions, check out their </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fhelp%2Fcustomer%2Fdisplay.html%3Fie%3DUTF8%26nodeId%3D602292%26pop-up%3D1%23gifts&tag=wwwmissiologi-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">
<u>Magazine Help Page</u></a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwmissiologi-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></span>
</td>
<td align="center" colspan="2" height="167" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="130">
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="6" height="67" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="689"><br />
<br />
<hr />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="2" height="152" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="73"><b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-large;">7.</span></b></td>
<td colspan="2" height="152" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="481"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial;"><b>Music and MP3's</b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> - <span style="font-size: small;">
It's really easy these days to send music...you can buy them
a digital album for their special occasion! Check out
Amazon's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fsearch%3Frh%3Dn%253A163856011%252Ck%253AChristian%2BWorship%252Cn%253A%21624868011%252Cn%253A624905011%252Cp_n_feature_browse-bin%253A625150011%26bbn%3D624905011%26keywords%3DChristian%2BWorship%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1291740985%26rnid%3D625149011&tag=wwwmissiologi-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325"><u>Christian
Music</u></a><u><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwmissiologi-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></u> section for some great ideas...<br /><br />Or you could send them an ITUNES gift card so they can download </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002Q6SSNC?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwmissiologi-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B002Q6SSNC"></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwmissiologi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002Q6SSNC" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
</span>
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=wwwmissiologi-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B002H9PTEE&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> </span></td>
<td align="center" colspan="2" height="152" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="130"><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="6" height="64" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="689"><hr />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="2" height="97" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="73"><b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-large;">8.</span></b></td>
<td colspan="4" height="97" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="606"><span style="clear: left; color: #666666; float: left; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</span><b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial;">Mail a Book</span></b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> -<span style="font-size: small;">
If you know they love reading, why not order them a book
from <a href="http://www.thebookdepository.com/">
<u>www.thebookdepository.com</u></a> - they mail to almost anywhere
in the world for <b>free</b>!</span></span><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">For a full list
of where they ship to, click
<a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/help/topic/HelpId/3/Which-countries-do-you-deliver-to#helpContent">
<u>here</u></a>.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.missiological.com/Images_Missions%20resources,%20cheap%20missions%20books,%20missions%20music,%20missions%20pictures,%20missions%20powerpoints,%20resources%20for%20missionaries/stackofbooks2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="right" border="0" height="132" src="http://www.missiological.com/Images_Missions%20resources,%20cheap%20missions%20books,%20missions%20music,%20missions%20pictures,%20missions%20powerpoints,%20resources%20for%20missionaries/stackofbooks2.jpg" width="171" /></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> </span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="6" height="83" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="679"><br />
<hr />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="2" height="260" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="73"><b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-large;">9.</span></b></td>
<td colspan="2" height="260" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="481"><span class="style10">
<a href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.com/"><b>
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial;">Language Learning
Software</span></b></a><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">
- <span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span> </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">If you know what
language they are learning, a very practical gift would be
to give them some language learning software! </span>
</span>
<span class="style10" style="font-size: small;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Two of
the most popular ones out there are:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1617160822?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwmissiologi-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1617160822">
Rosetta Stone V4 TOTALe: Spanish (Latin America) Level 1</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwmissiologi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1617160822" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" />
</span>
</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0026PEPDA?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwmissiologi-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B0026PEPDA">
Instant Immersion Spanish Levels 1,2 & 3</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwmissiologi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0026PEPDA" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></span></li>
</ul>
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=wwwmissiologi-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1608299635&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<br /></td>
<td colspan="2" height="260" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="130">
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="6" height="83" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="679"><br />
<hr />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan="2" height="118" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="73"><b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-large;">10.</span></b></td>
<td colspan="4" height="118" style="background-image: url(index_files/hs1.jpg);" valign="top" width="606"><span style="font-family: Arial;">
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Used Tea Bags</span></b>
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">-<span style="font-size: small;"> just kidding!! Though back
in the day (early 80's) people used to send us used tea bags
when we lived in Africa...no joke! </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.missiological.com/Images_Missions%20resources,%20cheap%20missions%20books,%20missions%20music,%20missions%20pictures,%20missions%20powerpoints,%20resources%20for%20missionaries/usedteabags1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="right" border="0" height="151" hspace="10" src="http://www.missiological.com/Images_Missions%20resources,%20cheap%20missions%20books,%20missions%20music,%20missions%20pictures,%20missions%20powerpoints,%20resources%20for%20missionaries/usedteabags1.jpg" width="120" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">But if you really are into tea bags (or coffee) why not send them a Starbucks gift card instead?</span><br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=wwwmissiologi-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0052UMO84&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: white;">.</span>
<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17073625555912048514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3959195533351318890.post-22986700541068689242011-08-27T08:02:00.000-07:002012-02-15T19:13:35.937-08:00<div style="color: #660000;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>RESOURCES FOR MISSIONARIES pt1 - Donor Management</b></u></span></div>
<br />
<br />
Sometimes it can be difficult to keep track of your supporters and donations given, as well as where you're at in meeting your monthly budget. Thankfully a good program (like "Donor Tracker" below) can really help in this area.<br />
<br />
Not only is keeping accurate records good stewardship, it also helps you as you communicate with others - for example, when people ask what percentage of support you’re at (not good to be stuck with a blank look on your face at that point!). Good records will aid you in sending thank-you’s and help you pray more specifically.<br />
<a href="http://www.missiological.com/Images_Missions%20resources,%20cheap%20missions%20books,%20missions%20music,%20missions%20pictures,%20missions%20powerpoints,%20resources%20for%20missionaries/other%20pics_Missions%20resources/Donor_logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.missiological.com/Images_Missions%20resources,%20cheap%20missions%20books,%20missions%20music,%20missions%20pictures,%20missions%20powerpoints,%20resources%20for%20missionaries/other%20pics_Missions%20resources/Donor_logo.jpg" width="178" /></a>The program we recommend to do this (for simplicity and functionality) is "Donor Tracker" - it's a free, Excel based program, which is simple to learn and easy to use. You don't need to install any other applications or have a week-long training session to use it!<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #660000;">Download it here:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.missiological.com/Downloads/DonorTracker_v4.2.zip">Donor Tracker 2</a> (2MB zip file, for Vista, Windows 7, Mac, etc) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.missiological.com/DonorTracker_v4.2.xls">Donor Tracker 1</a> (7MB for Windows XP)</span><br />
<br />
For more detailed info on how to get started with it, <span id="goog_1219124756"></span><a href="http://www.missiological.com/paoc.htm#DT">cli<span id="goog_1219124760"></span><span id="goog_1219124761"></span>ck here<span id="goog_1219124757"></span></a>. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #660000;">
<u><b>WHAT IT CAN DO:</b></u></div>
<br />
All you need to do to start is input (a) your estimated Budget, (b) the names (and relevant info) of your donors.<br />
Then each month write in who has given and the amount they gave (or copy/paste if your organization gives you a list).<br />
That's it! Donor Tracker will then show you <b>MONTHLY </b>stats (see pic below)...<br />
(a) Total donations received, month-to-date<br />
(b) Percentage of monthly support received, month-to-date<br />
(c) Percentage of yearly support<br />
(d) Amount left to raise that month.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.missiological.com/Images_Missions%20resources,%20cheap%20missions%20books,%20missions%20music,%20missions%20pictures,%20missions%20powerpoints,%20resources%20for%20missionaries/other%20pics_Missions%20resources/Donor/Donor5.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="201" src="http://www.missiological.com/Images_Missions%20resources,%20cheap%20missions%20books,%20missions%20music,%20missions%20pictures,%20missions%20powerpoints,%20resources%20for%20missionaries/other%20pics_Missions%20resources/Donor/Donor5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
On the TOTALS page, you can see your <b>YEARLY </b>totals at once glance:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiAlt4uxhXxs5MmCFYwHOXCIY248pNOcXHLaO9EarufdVZwTIts6nX2TZPEcFNt4z-OYdcOdCOFm780m4O41tIxNYyCWMIotuRlwxr4w8VJJ2emOifrHYMA7tcKQNhD5Z479lu2fF5zATM/s1600/YearlyTotals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiAlt4uxhXxs5MmCFYwHOXCIY248pNOcXHLaO9EarufdVZwTIts6nX2TZPEcFNt4z-OYdcOdCOFm780m4O41tIxNYyCWMIotuRlwxr4w8VJJ2emOifrHYMA7tcKQNhD5Z479lu2fF5zATM/s640/YearlyTotals.jpg" width="640" /></a>You will also be able to view:<br />
(a) Complete yearly totals for each donor (both Church and Individual)<br />
(b) Your "Top Ten" donors (see below)...<br />
(c) CHARTS - showing donor giving comparisons, and individual donor patterns (see below)...<br />
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There is also a handy <b>"PRAYER CALENDAR"</b> that automatically puts your donor's names in a monthly calendar format which you can print out and use to pray for them each month!<br />
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Finally, there is a "Resource Page" that gives handy links and info to other relevant resources!<br />
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Download it and give it a try!<br />
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(Yearly support by donor)<br />
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<a href="http://www.missiological.com/Images_Missions%20resources,%20cheap%20missions%20books,%20missions%20music,%20missions%20pictures,%20missions%20powerpoints,%20resources%20for%20missionaries/other%20pics_Missions%20resources/Donor/Donor4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.missiological.com/Images_Missions%20resources,%20cheap%20missions%20books,%20missions%20music,%20missions%20pictures,%20missions%20powerpoints,%20resources%20for%20missionaries/other%20pics_Missions%20resources/Donor/Donor4.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>
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(Donation comparison chart)<br />
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<br />Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17073625555912048514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3959195533351318890.post-22548658579536853872011-08-01T08:01:00.000-07:002012-02-15T19:14:21.472-08:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b><span style="color: blue;">GETTING TO KNOW THE GREAT ONE</span></b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: white;">... </b><b style="color: white;">.</b><u><b><br />
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<img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Hbwd5HyodJYIroT5Uv5tOjxtQjA22xANaPXgEIdGblYseGNkg16kl9xznH0a9EPjzmOrru1r9Z7trhWZ28gwImynYg0HPG7ua8vxUkwkd8IpMo50WRwQnYVQ_jF5iWuBkgZybG4tjRDr/s320/wayne-gretzky-stanley-cup.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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Wayne Gretzky ("The Great One") retired years ago, but he's still a legend when it comes to hockey. <br />
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He holds or shares over 60 NHL records including most goals, most points and most assists. One of my favorite stats of his is “most goals for one season” – he comes in <i>first </i>at 92 goals (’81-’82) as well as <i>second</i> with 87 goals in ’83-’84 (and eighth, and tenth...)</div>
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During the 80’s you could turn on the TV and watch him play, hear commentators tell how amazing he was, you could follow his stats, collect his memorabilia and chat with your friends how great he was. In other words, you could know a lot about him…and you could celebrate a lot about him.</div>
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But…does that mean you really knew him? </div>
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It’s one thing to know about someone and entirely different to really know them, to be counted as their friend. If I happened to be walking down the street and Gretzky passed me by, he probably wouldn’t stop and say, “Hey man, great to see you again!” </div>
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The unfortunate thing is that many of us treat <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Jesus</b> </span>like we do Wayne Gretzky (or <i>insert your favorite sports hero here</i>). We talk a lot about him, we go to large gatherings to celebrate him, we hear commentators talk of his greatness, we collect his memorabilia. But do we really know him? Personally? It’s one thing to know about Jesus…it’s another thing altogether to have a deep relationship with him, to be an intimate friend. </div>
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It’s not enough to know his stats, it’s not enough to read of his records or to celebrate his deeds. What he wants…what he longs for…is for us to know him deeply, intimately. His deep desire is that we meet with him on a regular basis so we get to the point of knowing his voice and understanding his heart. </div>
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We’ll spend tons of money and lots of time to stand in line and see sports stars or the famous. But we bemoan the fact we have no time to spend with God. </div>
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Yet in God’s presence is <i>fullness of joy</i> (Ps 16:11), <i>strength</i> (Is 40:31) and <i>peace</i> (Mt 11:28). As we wait on him he’ll direct us, empower us, provide and guide us. As <a href="http://www.mcheyne.info/life.php">Robert McCheyne</a> once said, “<i>a calm hour with God is worth a whole lifetime with man!</i>” </div>
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<b>Jesus</b> is the <b>Greatest Ever</b>…let’s make time to spend with him this week!<br />
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Related Posts:</div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://missions247.blogspot.com/2011/07/million-dollar-challenge-id-really-love.html">The Million Dollar Challenge</a></li>
<li><a href="http://missions247.blogspot.com/2011/05/spiritual-narcolepsy-i-wrote-poem_18.html">Spiritual Narcolepsy</a></li>
</ul>
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<br /></div>Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17073625555912048514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3959195533351318890.post-66732661552493078422011-07-08T09:08:00.000-07:002012-02-15T19:15:02.037-08:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>THE MILLION DOLLAR CHALLENGE!</b></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBSmXn9uyHqhzlqxU0vL_LM02ah2n8nz42HCD9q6icmECNYvOkmIgrH9EmLPWezqovw4b1OrrnPBpbSf2Wd7vC3k9HLXTfz1qo8EL9PGxDa-W-FLCuRKoMn_G1QxugUC6wnGeblTJ65i2x/s1600/coke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBSmXn9uyHqhzlqxU0vL_LM02ah2n8nz42HCD9q6icmECNYvOkmIgrH9EmLPWezqovw4b1OrrnPBpbSf2Wd7vC3k9HLXTfz1qo8EL9PGxDa-W-FLCuRKoMn_G1QxugUC6wnGeblTJ65i2x/s1600/coke.jpg" /></a></div>
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"<i>I'd really love to pray more</i>," he said to me, "<i>but I just don't have the time!</i>"<br />
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Many of us have heard – or said – something similar to the above statement. It seems to be a common excuse for the prayerless life. However, I firmly believe that it’s not that we don’t have the <b><i>time</i></b> to pray – it’s that we don’t have the <b><i>desire</i></b>. We haven’t made prayer a priority in our lives.</div>
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Imagine with me, if you will. A representative of Coca-Cola comes to your door with an amazing offer. He says, <i>“If you can get up at 6:30am every day for a month without missing a day, and watch a half-hour presentation on our company, <b>we’ll give you a million dollars!</b>”</i> Wow, what a deal! What do you think you’d do? Would you say, “Sorry, I’m not a morning person, I don’t have time for you or your million bucks!” No! With great excitement you’d tell your family about the offer and get them pumped up about the prize money. Perhaps you’d encourage them to get up and watch with you. You’d tell your friends and remind them not to call you after 10pm as you had to get to sleep early; you would cancel your late-night hockey games; you would put your kids to bed early; you would set 5 alarm clocks instead of just one. In short, <b><i>you would do whatever it takes</i></b> to <b><i>reorder your lifestyle</i></b> for that one month in order to get up early for that presentation! That prize of a million dollars would spur you on! </div>
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The truth of the illustration is this: <b><i>we make time for what is important to us</i></b>. If socializing is important to you, you’ll prioritize that over prayer. If entertainment grabs your heart, you’ll stay up late for that. Whether its money, sports, internet, shopping, work, golf…if you’re passionate about it, you’ll make time for it.</div>
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So we see that, except for those very rare occasions, it’s not that we don’t have time for prayer, it’s that we don’t have <b><i>desire</i></b>. Unfortunately most of us wait for moments of crisis to pray…as that’s when desperation and desire kick in! In crisis we suddenly become aware that we need to shuffle our schedule and priorities to pray.</div>
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The men and women of God who have made a difference throughout history knew and prized and treasured Jesus more than anything – even more than their sleep. They didn’t wait for crisis. They made prayer a priority, despite busy schedules, heavy workloads and crowds of children. They rearranged their schedules and learned to say no to things that would have taken away their time and attention from the priority of prayer.</div>
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People often ask me, why don’t we see God move here in North America like you say He is moving around the world? Part of the answer is that they have desire and desperation – while we are content for life to keep on going as it’s always gone. Poverty or persecution spurs them on. Affluence and ease lull us to sleep.</div>
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What we need is a God-given passion. The Kingdom of God and the salvation of the lost are worth more than a million bucks…<b>Are you up to the challenge?</b></div>
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<b><u>Below are a few ideas to help us practically grow our desire for God</u></b></div>
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a. <b>Ask the Holy Spirit</b> for a renewed passion for Jesus and for prayer (“You have not because you ask not” – James 4:2)<br />
b. <b>Set a schedule</b>…and an alarm clock if necessary! (You schedule everything else that's important to you, why not prayer?)<br />
c. <b>Get friends together</b> and pray. (That’s what the early disciples did in Acts – gathered daily and from house-to-house. It helps keep us accountable…and helps spur each other on).<br />
d. <b>Fast and pray</b> – as you learn to fast and say “no” to earthly appetites, you’ll be surprised how your spiritual appetite will grow! When you unplug from the world, it’s easier to plug-in to God!<br />
e. <b>Read and/or listen</b> to those that were passionate about the things of God. Their fire can help ignite yours! I'd suggest pretty much anything by Keith Green, Leonard Ravenhill, Charles Finney or John Wesley.</div>
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f. <b>Meditate on eternity</b>. Once you grasp the reality of hell and the necessity to reach the lost, you’ll find a new fire and passion kindling in your heart! You’ll begin to agree with Charles Spurgeon who said: <i>“If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees…let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”</i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #073763;"> "Could a mariner sit idle if he heard a drowning cry?</span><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">Could a doctor sit in comfort and just let his patients die?</span><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">Could a fireman sit idle, let men burn and give no hand?</span><br style="color: #073763;" /><span style="color: #073763;">Can you sit at ease in Zion with the world around you damned?"</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"> - Leonard Ravenhill -</span></i></div>
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Related Post:</div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://missions247.blogspot.com/2011/05/spiritual-narcolepsy-i-wrote-poem_18.html">Spiritual Narcolepsy</a></li>
</ul>
=======================Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17073625555912048514noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3959195533351318890.post-80987362724226859132011-06-23T19:45:00.000-07:002011-06-23T19:45:26.259-07:00<div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-size: large;"><b>On Diapers and Good Deeds</b></span></u></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKvfv2ShJC_EzNDfUOYrwqwVCA40BVsHw-ecPVEt9NyYDps0yCI35r8RRVXIvCsayUwWQG7PgW2Fv8ASdcTIYh-SYM90dhwBwI_zue19YgGdTU_K5OP8yecPy5urK_AfQDhdmDfXThzXz/s1600/baby-diapers3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKvfv2ShJC_EzNDfUOYrwqwVCA40BVsHw-ecPVEt9NyYDps0yCI35r8RRVXIvCsayUwWQG7PgW2Fv8ASdcTIYh-SYM90dhwBwI_zue19YgGdTU_K5OP8yecPy5urK_AfQDhdmDfXThzXz/s320/baby-diapers3.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"> <br />
<b>It always amazes me</b> how many diapers we go through each month with our baby. Thankfully though, we’ve been through this routine before and I know that one day he’ll grow out of them. He’ll go on to maturity: he’ll start to feed himself, dress himself and make his own bed (well…maybe not that one!) and eventually make it through school. His growth won’t be easy though – it will require some work and training: potty training, piano lessons, homework, chores…but it’s our prayer that one day he’ll be both mature and fruitful in life.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>It also amazes me</b> how many Christians pay little attention to their growth in godliness. In my last post (<a href="http://missions247.blogspot.com/2011/06/what-would-jordan-do-reflections-on.html">WWJD: What Would Jordan Do?</a>) I talked about the importance of practicing the spiritual disciplines that Jesus did. However, talking about “disciplines” may make some uncomfortable. Since the Reformation, it seems, many of us have a fear of “good works.” However, I believe one of the biggest lies of the devil is that any emphasis on deeds or works immediately means legalism. Some might say: “<i>We’re saved by grace, we don’t need to focus on works!</i>” Unfortunately, that is plain unscriptural!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now obviously it’s true that <b>we’re saved by grace alone</b> – but that doesn’t negate the need for us, as believers, to emphasize good works.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">I want to share with you a distinction that has helped me tremendously. It’s the simple truth that there is a vast difference between one’s <b>IDENTITY </b>and their<b> MATURITY</b>. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">As a believer you can’t change your <b>identity</b> – you are IN CHRIST. The moment you repented and turned to Jesus you became a child of God…works won't make you a Christian or make God love you more. That’s your <b>identity</b> – you are a CHILD of God. However, you can change your level of <b>maturity</b>.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">A baby doesn’t work to be born….but to grow to maturity requires LOTS of work!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">No matter how long my boys stay in their diapers, they’ll always be my kids…their “works” won’t change <b>my</b> love for them. However, their “works” will change <b>their</b> maturity, their growth and their fruitfulness! When my son is 18 and heading off to college, my guess is that he won’t take a box of diapers with him!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">YOU ARE IN CHRIST...your works can’t add to your identity. But the question is – <b>are you going to be a BABY in Christ or an ADULT in Christ</b>? Are you going to go on to maturity, to fruitfulness? If you are, that will take work!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">That’s why the Scriptures are full of exhortations to “Grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 3:18) and to “make every effort” (2 Pet. 1:5, 15; 3:14; Heb 12:14, etc) and to “train yourself to be godly” (1 Tim 4:7,8)...and that believers are to “prove their repentance by their deeds” (Acts 26:20 – heard a sermon on that one lately?). And that’s why Jesus said “by your fruit you will recognize them” (Mt 7:20) and why he declares over and over in Revelation “I know your deeds!” (not just “I know your intentions!” – see Rev 2:2,19,23; 3:1,8,15). </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
Your deeds – your works, growth and fruitfulness – are of extreme importance both here on earth as well as on judgment day! (See Rev 22:12 and 1 Cor 3:11-15).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Martin Luther himself, in his treatise on “Christian Freedom” said, of course, that Christians are “justified by faith,” yet he also was emphatic that while still on this earth the believer must:</div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">“give heed to exercise his body by fastings, watchings, labour, and other regular discipline, so that it may be subdued to the spirit, and obey and conform itself to the inner man and faith…True then, are these two sayings: ‘Good works do not make a good man, but a good man does good works’” (Martin Luther – <b><i><a href="http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/luther/web/cclib-3.html">Concerning Christian Liberty</a></i></b> ).</div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">That’s why spiritual disciplines are so important – like a child learning practicing piano, or a basketball player doing training – disciplines and good works help us grow in spirit and have a positive impact on the world around us.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Works won’t save you. But they’ll sure help you get out of your diapers and make a difference for Christ!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">=========================</div><div class="MsoNormal"> <b>Recommended Resources:</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">=========================</div><ul><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Life-Youve-Always-Wanted-Disciplines/dp/0310246954?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwmissiologi-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Life You've Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwmissiologi-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0310246954" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> - book by John Ortberg</li>
<li><a href="http://www.dwillard.org/articles/artview.asp?artID=103">How does the Disciple Live?</a> - article by Dallas Willard </li>
</ul>========================= <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div>Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17073625555912048514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3959195533351318890.post-77396676717656602592011-06-14T10:18:00.000-07:002011-06-14T10:18:32.437-07:00<div style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="font-size: large;">What Would Jordan Do? </span></b></u><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NrS4_h9riFfvXE8B9B5spVvm00sv7neUtASafYtpCwK2II_ks2awT-xfnyxBybaX3aK8n2x5zczc1XUqZhSVUiHdhcTGnxxBbT-wEq2IzlPUHkQBJbkPr-K4jYhDMU7Oi8SIBK_JCPmT/s1600/jordan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NrS4_h9riFfvXE8B9B5spVvm00sv7neUtASafYtpCwK2II_ks2awT-xfnyxBybaX3aK8n2x5zczc1XUqZhSVUiHdhcTGnxxBbT-wEq2IzlPUHkQBJbkPr-K4jYhDMU7Oi8SIBK_JCPmT/s320/jordan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
A while ago it was vogue in Christian circles to ask<b> WWJD</b>: What Would Jesus Do?<span> </span><span></span>But it got a little over-hyped and largely under-practiced (which often happens) and has since received its fair share of criticism.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">While I agree that asking WWJD is biblical – Jesus, after all, told his followers to follow him – I think it has inherent problems.<span> </span>The main one is this: we can’t do what Jesus did just by asking that question.<span> </span>For even if we think we know what Jesus would do the reality is that <i>we often don’t have the spiritual reserves to follow through</i>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">By itself asking WWJD is just as unreasonable as asking “<b>What Would JORDAN Do?</b>”<span> </span><br />
I enjoy basketball and always held Jordan’s abilities in high esteem…but I’d never ask that kind of question.<span> </span>Why?<span> </span>Because even if I knew the answer, I still wouldn’t be able to do what Jordan did!<span> </span>I can’t jump like him, shoot like him, or stick out my tongue like him.</div><div class="MsoNormal">And here’s the key point: <i>Unless I practiced the way Jordan did in private, I’d never be able to do what he did in public</i>.<span> </span>It’s not enough to know what he’d do in a given situation – I must have the strength and ability to do it as well.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The same is very true in our Christian walk.<span> </span><b>We’ll never do what Jesus did in public until we learn to do what he did in private.</b><span> </span>Unfortunately, a lot of us wear the Jesus-jersey, skip out of practice, then wonder why we’re so lousy when it comes to game time!</div><div class="MsoNormal">Jesus’ life of prayer, sensitivity to the Spirit and obedience to the Father laid the foundation for his amazing ministry.<span> </span>He knew Scripture inside out and walked in intimacy with the Father.<span> </span>Doing what Jesus did without his focus and prayer life is like me getting up off the couch and doing a 360 slam dunk from the free throw line.<span> </span>Ain’t likely that’ll happen!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.dwillard.org/articles/artview.asp?artID=103">Dallas Willard</a> puts it this way: <em><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">"As Jesus’ disciple..I am learning from him how to lead my life in the Kingdom of the Heavens as he would lead my life if he were I.” </span></em></div><div class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><br />
</span></em></div><div class="MsoNormal">So this is a call back to the basics – a call to do things that Jesus did and that his early followers put into practice.<span> </span>If we want to see even the beginnings of a Jesus-kind-of-life we’ll need to get back to the core practices of fasting and prayer, simplicity of life, memorizing Scripture, self denial and intimacy with God.<span> </span>Once we begin to do these things not only will we be able to discern what Jesus would do, we would – by His grace – have the power to be able to imitate him as well.<span> </span>So while it wouldn’t fit a lot of bracelets or make a lot of sales, I would suggest this question is much more appropriate: “<i><b>What Did Jesus Do in order to Do What He Did?</b>”</i><span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m never going to be Michael Jordan, but it’s my prayer that each day you and I will grow to be more like Christ!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">=========================</div><div class="MsoNormal"> <b>Related Posts:</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">=========================<br />
</div><ul><li><a href="http://missions247.blogspot.com/2011/05/spiritual-narcolepsy-i-wrote-poem_18.html">Spiritual Narcolepsy</a></li>
<li><a href="http://missions247.blogspot.com/2011/06/green-card-christianity-years-ago-movie.html">Green Card Christianity<br />
</a></li>
</ul>=========================Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17073625555912048514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3959195533351318890.post-44083607009369323812011-06-05T16:41:00.000-07:002011-06-05T16:41:58.880-07:00<div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-large;"><b>Green Card Christianity</b></span></u></div><div style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd559tkguYfm0xMtMLJZbD5HH6i_0W2GOjjno8QS5T5ih6_eU_aWASk10pHNd7ENZLb07VVSfxzBeYEoAEz2ZGVPg5xEe2Om7JNi-eygTCYb8g7W0tKQTyf0wyw3gKc17-bV_b6gl-l7r-/s1600/Green+Card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd559tkguYfm0xMtMLJZbD5HH6i_0W2GOjjno8QS5T5ih6_eU_aWASk10pHNd7ENZLb07VVSfxzBeYEoAEz2ZGVPg5xEe2Om7JNi-eygTCYb8g7W0tKQTyf0wyw3gKc17-bV_b6gl-l7r-/s320/Green+Card.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"> <br />
Years ago the movie "Green Card" came out. <span>The plot revolved around two strangers getting married – not out of love, but out of convenience.<span> </span>The one would get an American green card, the other a fancy apartment.<span> </span>After the wedding the two would separate, get on with their lives, and live life as they wanted (at least, that was the plan)...</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Unfortunately, it seems, some people go through a similar process in becoming a “Christian".<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><span> </span><br />
They hear that the heavenly country is a little better than the other option and that if they say a prayer and sign a card, then presto, they get citizenship and all the rights that go with it!<span> </span>So they say “I do” to Jesus and then keep right on living as they had before…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>But is that what coming to Christ is all about?<span> </span>Saying “yes,” then living as you please?<span> </span>Does going to church or saying a prayer mean you are “in”?<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Well, it may - if it’s the start of a life-long passionate relationship with the Son of God.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>But, on the other hand, it may not.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Jesus and the disciples seemed to suggest that there was much more involved than a good beginning.<span> </span>When our Master walked this earth he didn’t tell people to just say a prayer.<span> </span>He told them to <i>follow </i>(Mt 4:19; Lk 5:27).<span> </span>He called them to repent (Mt 4:17<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3959195533351318890#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">[1]</span></span></span></span></a>) and leave their old ways behind, walk with him and make him central to <b>everything</b> they would do from that point onwards (Lk 9:23-25).<span> </span>Saying a prayer is a good way to start…but it needs to be followed up with a life that’s radically centered on Christ.<span> </span>It means intentionally switching allegiance from <i>self</i> to <i>Him</i>.<span> </span>It transforms the way we think and talk and spend our money and use our time and talents.<span> </span>Everything becomes surrendered to Jesus and his kingdom.<span> </span>Jesus talked about a narrow door and a narrow way (Mt 7:13,14)…not a narrow door with a broad way, where we squeeze in then live as we’d like.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>In the movie, things unraveled when an immigration officer checked in on them and discovered the truth.<span> </span>And I sometimes wonder what would happen if someone checked in on us and our devotion to Jesus?<span> </span>Would they see much in common with him?<span> </span>Would our love for each other be visible?<span> </span>Would we know his ways, spend time together and be growing daily in our relationship with him?<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Just as in a marriage you need to continue to love each other, serve each other, live with each other, listen and talk to each other – the same is needed in our relationship with Jesus!<span> </span>There’s no such thing as “<b>Green Card” Christianity</b>, if by that we mean saying “I do” then living as we want.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3959195533351318890#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">[2]</span></span></span></span></a><span> </span>You might be able to fool the American government, but you can’t fool Christ!<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><span><i><br />
> If you liked this article you may also want to check out:</i> <b style="color: blue;"><a href="http://missions247.blogspot.com/2011/05/spiritual-narcolepsy-i-wrote-poem_18.html">Spiritual Narcolepsy</a></b>. <br />
<br />
</span></span></div><div><br clear="all" /> <hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /> <div id="ftn1"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3959195533351318890#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="RU"><span><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="RU" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">[1]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="RU"> </span><span>The exact same message of <b>repentance</b> was preached by John the Baptist (Mt 3:2), Peter (Acts 2:38) and Paul (Acts 26:20) and recorded by the apostle John (Rev 2:4,5).</span></span></div></div><div id="ftn2"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3959195533351318890#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="RU"><span><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span lang="RU" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">[2]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="RU"> </span><span>Just so there’s no confusion, let me say that I have nothing against people getting Green Cards.<span> </span>In fact, my wife is in the process of getting one.<span> </span>(Actually, being Canadian, it’s commonly referred to as a “<i>Maple Leaf Card</i>”).</span></span></div></div></div>Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17073625555912048514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3959195533351318890.post-72556289391636131932011-05-20T19:29:00.000-07:002011-05-20T19:29:43.326-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQubmna-HhxDbGlpP04IpbeGqrIYTYrNTTEFX3BaP_jbl_EPqbdGjYnH1aO8qsslCDl9SrYxvqwQwKRsW3GpqoxpHX96OtkriyErBNz-_RPfBxLZ135aXx0_ylV6wEOdbcI9l4XglGzfid/s1600/may-21-2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQubmna-HhxDbGlpP04IpbeGqrIYTYrNTTEFX3BaP_jbl_EPqbdGjYnH1aO8qsslCDl9SrYxvqwQwKRsW3GpqoxpHX96OtkriyErBNz-_RPfBxLZ135aXx0_ylV6wEOdbcI9l4XglGzfid/s320/may-21-2011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>END OF THE WORLD?</b></u></span><br />
<b><i>Lessons in the obvious and the obscure </i></b> <br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">We’ve probably all heard about the group that’s been proclaiming the end of the world on May 21<sup>st</sup>. <span></span>I just don’t get how people can ignore plain teaching of Scripture and hold on to hidden obscurities.<span> </span>It just doesn’t equate!</div><div class="MsoNormal">Jesus clearly stated in Matthew’s Gospel:</div><ul><li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven…” (Mt 24:36).</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span></span></span><i>“Keep watch because you do not know on what day your Lord comes” (Mt 24:42).</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span></span></span><i>“The Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Mt 24:44).</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span></span></span><i>“Keep watch because you do not know the day or the hour” (Mt 25:13).</i> </span></li>
</ul> And if that wasn’t enough, when they asked him later about it, he reminded them: <ul><li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span></span></span><i>“It’s not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority” (Acts 1:7).</i></span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal">It just boggles my mind how someone calling themselves a follower of Jesus can ignore something so obvious! But while it’s easy to get exasperated at these kind of doomsday predictions, the truth of the matter is <i>we often do the exact same thing</i>: ignore the obvious teaching of Jesus, while holding onto the obscure.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Below are a few more things – obvious things – Jesus said that we tend to ignore:</div><ul><li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span></span></span><b>The “Great Commission”</b> – Jesus told all his followers to <i>go and make disciples of all nations</i> (Mt 28:19).<span> </span>We need to get involved at ‘home’ and around the world.<span> </span>We can pray, give, go…but we can’t ignore him and do nothing!<span> </span>It’s high time we made his last command our first priority!<br />
<br />
</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span></span></span><b>The Poor</b> – Jesus said to his disciples “<i>sell your possessions and give to the poor</i>” (Lk 12:33). <br />
<span> </span>If you read the book of Luke he actually states that 3 different times to 3 different groups (the Pharisees, the disciples, the rich ruler).<span> </span>But it seems we think that since we live in the West we’re somehow let off the hook and can live as affluently as we’d like!<span> </span>We’re not called to poverty, but we’re called to <i>radical sacrifice</i> and <i>joyful generosity</i>!<br />
<br />
</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span></span></span><b>“Don’t store up treasure on earth”</b> – Jesus said it as clear as day (Mt 6:19).<span> </span>Yet for most of us (myself included) it’s just so easy to store stuff up!<span> </span>But why do we think we’re exempt?<span> </span>Consumerism, materialism and self-centeredness are killing the church and robbing the poor.<span> </span><br />
<br />
</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span></span></span>Jesus also said,<b> “You’ll have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word you have spoken” (Mt 12:36). </b><span> </span>Ouch!<span> </span><span> </span>How many careless words do we say each day?<span> </span>If Jesus is saying the truth here (and I’m quite sure he is!) then <i>a lot of us will be in a lot of trouble</i> when that day finally does come!</li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal">This list could go on and on!<span> </span>So while it’s easy to blast doomsday predictors, I think it’d be much more fruitful if we repented of disobeying the obvious teachings of Jesus that we ourselves have ignored!</div>Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17073625555912048514noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3959195533351318890.post-22196873998660294942011-05-18T08:50:00.000-07:002011-05-18T08:50:39.523-07:00<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: medium;"><u><b>SPIRITUAL NARCOLEPSY</b></u></span><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGhkDefIc9TK00YXhyRLkToGlj8pzUEXgzd7gLVQS0SpGGdrFGi4yP2oCEq_brbSfPN7MKzYRsQYCxzuEPJeqdo8p2JnyOQmvd15cJ7kRminsZIuYu7A0lyKTqNzkjx23xwDisGyEBIyM/s1600/Mr+bean.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGhkDefIc9TK00YXhyRLkToGlj8pzUEXgzd7gLVQS0SpGGdrFGi4yP2oCEq_brbSfPN7MKzYRsQYCxzuEPJeqdo8p2JnyOQmvd15cJ7kRminsZIuYu7A0lyKTqNzkjx23xwDisGyEBIyM/s320/Mr+bean.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVLi-CCbza04Nd-FC6ka_4EhNJwanGezmlYACfRLa1NyivkHOMr8XCzsVdzpmzh26AKDKePzfQN0Tf1oU5Hx8Wnhn5TNxZhujCkPIejHfAt-PH7we82w0JMvMZPXHYxKhD-YZZsnXh1RBw/s1600/Narcolepsy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div> <i><br />
I wrote a poem regarding this common malady a few years ago. </i><br />
<i>Prescriptions are at the end of this post.</i><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1in;"><br />
I’m a spiritual narcoleptic<br />
It’s a common thing, I hear<br />
I suddenly start to sleep<br />
When the Holy Spirit’s near.<br />
I don’t pray or read the Bible<br />
(I’m afraid I’ll overdose)<br />
Don’t want to see Revival<br />
I’d rather be comatose!<br />
</div><div style="margin-left: 1in;">I just don’t want to live<br />
An “on-fire” life for Christ<br />
I kinda like my sin<br />
It’s feelin’ pretty nice:<br />
A bit of pride and greed<br />
Some lust and anger, too<br />
My conscience took a nap<br />
So it ain’t too hard to do!<br />
<br />
Well, discipline and prayer<br />
Are things I hate to hear,<br />
And all that stuff on purity<br />
I avoid with nervous fear.<br />
I don’t need to be “sold-out”<br />
The price is way too steep<br />
Don’t wanna be ‘transformed’-<br />
It’s easier just to sleep!<br />
<br />
So quit your talk of holiness<br />
‘Cause I sure don’t want to change<br />
And forget this “cleanse me” business<br />
My friends might think I’m strange.<br />
Don’t want to seem “fanatic”<br />
(That’s a term I really hate)<br />
Don’t want to get too drastic<br />
So I choose to hibernate!<br />
<br />
When the preachin’ is anointed<br />
I can’t take it any more<br />
When the Spirit starts convictin’<br />
I just begin to snore!<br />
I still go to church on Sunday,<br />
To do the “Christian thing”<br />
‘Cause I know the coming week<br />
I can have my worldly fling:<br />
<br />
Monday night is football<br />
Movie night the next<br />
Wednesday hit the mall<br />
And Thursday surf the 'net<br />
Friday’s when I party,<br />
On the weekend watch TV<br />
(It’s been a tiring week<br />
So don’t you bother me!)<br />
<br />
I gotta watch the stocks,<br />
The Soaps and all the rest<br />
I’m a regular at the shows<br />
And I know which actor’s best.<br />
No time to read the Word<br />
Or tithe my well-earned money,<br />
(They’ll say that I’m a nerd<br />
Or think I’m kinda funny)<br />
<br />
And what’s this “Great Commission?”<br />
That I’m hearin’ all the time<br />
Who cares about the lost<br />
As long as MY life’s fine!<br />
Don’t wanna help the poor<br />
Or see the hungry fed<br />
If they’re knockin’ at my door<br />
I’ll stay in this ol’ bed!<br />
<br />
You may say that I’m lukewarm<br />
But I think that’s slightly false<br />
Just come a little closer<br />
You might find a real faint pulse…<br />
Look, I’ve got no room for God<br />
Can’t you see my life is hectic?<br />
I’m really not that odd -<br />
Just a Spiritual Narcoleptic!</div> <i> - J. Willoughby - </i><br />
<br />
<b>Prescriptions for Spiritual Narcolepsy:</b><br />
<b>1. </b> Read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/No-Compromise-Story-Keith-Green/dp/1595551646?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwmissiologi-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">No Compromise</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwmissiologi-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1595551646" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Keith Green (once a day, after mealtime. Chew well).<br />
<b>2. </b> Listen to "<a href="http://www.missiological.com/AUDIO/Brent%20Cantalon%20-%2001%20Why%20Revival%20Won%27t%20Come%20to%20Canada.mp3">Why Revival Won't Come to Canada</a>" by Brent Cantelon (best taken without food).<br />
<b>3. </b> Listen to a few <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-63tlumfT-A">Leonard Ravenhill clips</a> like this one (warning: may cause eyes to water).<br />
<b>Repeat these steps until symptoms disappear.</b>Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17073625555912048514noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3959195533351318890.post-77935744423451743852011-05-08T16:31:00.000-07:002011-05-08T16:31:34.359-07:00<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Jesus, Judgment and the reality of Hell</b></u></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RPhQ7nPX2117RV4rtmMx4UuI-IAuWi0cEvwW8v5m1crzMFSR7VkGdVdNJ3vk97VsKd3B29jkGlwciMPzLUGQLG-3xqeH65wWWRGofXzSg7zUbLzg2o1y06GYcKRiNcivSV-QUygIOtcc/s1600/heaven-or-hell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RPhQ7nPX2117RV4rtmMx4UuI-IAuWi0cEvwW8v5m1crzMFSR7VkGdVdNJ3vk97VsKd3B29jkGlwciMPzLUGQLG-3xqeH65wWWRGofXzSg7zUbLzg2o1y06GYcKRiNcivSV-QUygIOtcc/s200/heaven-or-hell.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Judgment and hell are difficult topics to write about. If eternal punishment is real, then it is a cause for much soul-searching and should fill us with an incredible sense of urgency and compassion for any who might befall that fate. It definitely is not something to be treated flippantly…nor is it something to bash people over the head with in condemnation. <b><i>If we can’t talk about hell with tears in our eyes and pain in our heart, we should probably remain silent!</i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">In my last post I highlighted a few areas that I disagreed with Rob Bell about regarding his presentation of hell in his book “Love Wins.” In this post I am going to try and show (a) what the Bible teaches about hell and judgment and (b) why it matters, especially today. Because of the nature of the subject, and the way it has been (<i>mis</i>)treated by many today, this will take a while to unpack. However, I encourage you to take the time to think through the Scriptures we’ll talk about. I especially encourage you to read through what Jesus says about hell and judgment in Matthew 13:37-42; 13:47-50; 18:7-9; 18:32-35; 22:1-14; 24:45-51; 25:41-46. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL1cEu6Iew4uLX1zApvSOYARH5JCI9hVdHBjplnugPlEMEc5gKPORu-Td07OXLuThupsDaPW9I43zAyMop3bOma4IXRr3FyTJG_BYvzqS-2CTnXPwM4n52G61JqFYFdmjsWW6M54XviAPk/s1600/3774945-caring-doctor-smiling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL1cEu6Iew4uLX1zApvSOYARH5JCI9hVdHBjplnugPlEMEc5gKPORu-Td07OXLuThupsDaPW9I43zAyMop3bOma4IXRr3FyTJG_BYvzqS-2CTnXPwM4n52G61JqFYFdmjsWW6M54XviAPk/s1600/3774945-caring-doctor-smiling.jpg" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #073763;">1. As a matter of life and death the topic of eternal punishment and hell are vital for us to grasp. We should be wary of those that try to explain it away in the name of ‘love’.</span><span style="color: #073763;"> </span> </b><br />
If eternal punishment is real, it would be more foolish for someone to misdiagnose this topic than for a doctor to misdiagnose a life-threatening disease. Likewise, if you were seriously ill, would you go to a doctor who downplayed your illness and only tried to make you feel happy, or to a doctor who could treat your sickness? Which would be most caring?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">If your car needed major repairs would you take it to someone who explains away the problem while making you feel good about yourself? Or to a mechanic that can actually fix your car? Who would be the most loving, the most helpful? </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Unfortunately, this is what many do with the topic of hell. In the name of compassion they pretend it doesn’t exist. They ignore Jesus’ words and explain it all away. They emphasize love and compassion, but at the same time withhold the truth that could bring healing and salvation. Again, <i>if hell is real</i>, then it would be totally <b><i>unloving</i></b> to treat it flippantly, to ignore it, or to redefine it to suit our own desires. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>Jesus – the most loving person who ever walked this earth – certainly didn’t explain it away. </b>He talked of it with both clarity and certainty. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #073763; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>2. Jesus is God – and is therefore smart! He knows better than anyone else why hell was created and what will happen in the future. If we are to learn about hell, then it is His words we must listen to.</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">I’m amazed at how many people say they love Jesus – but don’t actually pay much attention to what he says! Gandhi once said, “<i>Everybody is eager to garland my photos…But nobody wants to follow my advice</i>.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3959195533351318890#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span></span></a> Unfortunately, this seems true of Jesus as well! </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">If Jesus truly is God (and I believe he is!)<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3959195533351318890#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[2]</span></span></span></a>, if he is the Creator of all things (and Scripture says he is)<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3959195533351318890#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[3]</span></span></span></a>, then he would certainly know better than anyone else what hell is like. He would have been there when it was made and he would have known what it was made for. We need to listen to what he says about it!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br />
</span><b style="color: #073763;">3. Jesus spoke more about hell and judgment than anyone else in Scripture. He always treated it as something real…and something terrible. Furthermore, the rest of the New Testament writers agree with everything Jesus taught on hell and spoke in similar words as he did.</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>A. Jesus spoke about hell and judgment an astonishing number of times!</b> In Matthew alone Jesus speaks about eternal punishment and the Day of Judgment over 25 times! <i>(See the full list at the end of this post)</i>. In fact, Jesus spoke about hell more than all the other New Testament writers put together. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">But<b> <i>why</i></b> would <b>God</b> reference such a terrible thing so much? Simply because <b>it is real, it is terrible…and he doesn’t want anyone to go there!</b> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6pXlymEG2yBj6h5rLTctjo0FXhrdw2JHeJMfqxvDyhMEcUFCjq5RMqQwDPGhUW6hTW4O-8dyH3TCj4GLJq1P-r8ZPdsu_r9ivG1xW3oNpcsk1pGC8E9TjperpFVZ67o3Yu9fBczGGPj-/s1600/chineseboycars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6pXlymEG2yBj6h5rLTctjo0FXhrdw2JHeJMfqxvDyhMEcUFCjq5RMqQwDPGhUW6hTW4O-8dyH3TCj4GLJq1P-r8ZPdsu_r9ivG1xW3oNpcsk1pGC8E9TjperpFVZ67o3Yu9fBczGGPj-/s200/chineseboycars.jpg" width="200" /></a>If you’re a parent like me you know that if something is really important you’ll repeat it to your kids. You say over and over, “don’t play near the road!” Why? Because it could be a matter of life and death and you realize your child doesn’t quite grasp the consequences as you do. So you repeat it over and over, you make sure it’s ingrained in their minds, you passionately warn them. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">That’s what Jesus does: over and over he warns his listeners about hell – especially since it’s a topic that’s hard for us to grasp. He cares deeply for us and wanted to do everything in his power to make sure we got the message!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Now, if it’s true (as some say) that everyone will end up in heaven anyway – why would Jesus talk about hell so much? Why was he so concerned about it? If hell doesn’t exist then Jesus really wasted a lot of breath! If judgment isn’t real then the only thing we can say is Jesus was terribly confused! Not many would actually say that out loud…but many people quietly (or not-so-quietly) imply that by their shallow view of hell.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Among other things, Jesus referred to hell as:</div><ul><li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span>A place of fire (Mt 5:22; 18:9)</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"></span>Where the “Fire never goes out” (Mark 9:43)</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"></span>Where the “Worm does not die, fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:47,48)</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"></span>Which destroys the soul and the body (Mt 10:28)</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"></span>A place of “Weeping and gnashing of teeth” (8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; cf Luke 13:28)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"></span>Fiery furnace (13:42, 50)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"></span>A place of Darkness (Mt 8:12; 22:13; 25:30)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"></span>Eternal fire (Mt 18:8; 25:41)<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"></span>Eternal punishment (Mt 25:46) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">In the same way <b>other New Testament writers</b> referred to judgment/hell in these words:</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">A place of: “<i>eternal destruction</i>” – 2 Thess 1:9; “<i>eternal judgment</i>” – Heb 6:2; “<i>punishment of eternal fire</i>” – Jude 1:7; “<i>judgment and destruction of ungodly people</i>” 2 Peter 3:7; “<i>if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire</i>” – Rev 20:15 (see also Rev 21:8).<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>B. Jesus spoke of it as something incredibly terrible.</b> Jesus referred to hell using the Greek word “Gehenna.” As I mentioned in my last post, Gehenna was a place outside the city where people threw garbage and corpses and left them to decompose or get eaten by scavenging animals. It was a place of filth and of death – you could smell it, hear it, sense it…and you did all you could to avoid it. Jesus used this language to make his listeners realize that hell is<b><i> the worst thing imaginable</i></b>. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Now some have said that all these images Jesus uses aren’t meant to be taken literally. However we need to remember that <i>these descriptions are the same throughout all Scripture</i> – from Isaiah to John the Baptist to Jesus to Paul to Jude and the Apostle John. They all speak of hell in the same language, with the same urgency and with a literal emphasis.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Furthermore, when Jesus uses descriptive words <i>it is not to belittle the image he is talking about</i>. Rather it is to highlight to frail human understandings a truth that is <i>greater</i> than they can grasp. Something more powerful, magnified and on a larger scale than they can imagine. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>If the images of hell Jesus uses are ‘just’ metaphors, then hell is <i>unthinkably worse</i> than mere fire.</b> <br />
A professor named Dr J. Budziszewski (try pronouncing that!) recently noted, </div><blockquote>“Some writers have said that the flames of hell are not real flames but mere metaphors for the agony of being left to ourselves…but remember that a metaphor is just a shadow of the real thing; if flames are a mere metaphor for that agony, the agony must be worse than flames.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3959195533351318890#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[4]</span></span></span></a><br />
</blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"> And John Piper notes, </div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">“Even if I try to make the ‘lake of fire’ (Rev. 20:15) or the ‘fiery furnace’ (Matt. 13:42) a symbol, I am confronted with the terrifying thought that symbols are not overstatements but understatements of reality. Jesus did not choose these pictures to tell us that hell is easier than burning.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3959195533351318890#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[5]</span></span></span></a></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">This may sound strange, but <i>I hope that Jesus wasn’t just using metaphors</i>…if he was then hell is much, much worse than anything we’ve yet imagined!<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Furthermore, as stated above:<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #073763; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>4. Jesus spoke more about hell and judgment than almost any other topic he taught on! If we are to ignore him on this, we <i>might as well ignore him in every other area</i> as well. There’s just no getting around what he had to say about it.</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Jesus only references being “<i>born again</i>” <b>twice</b> in Scripture (John 3:3,7)…but most people will tell you that Christians think it’s a pretty important thing! If we ignore Jesus speaking about hell and judgment – when he mentions it over <b>25 times – </b>we can probably ignore the “<i>born again</i>” bit as well, don’t you think? While we’re at it, we should forget the “<i>love your neighbour as yourself</i>” part because he only said that twice (Mt 19:19; 22:39). <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Do you see what I’m trying to get at? We focus on the passages that sound nice or are a little easier to swallow, but we try to ignore those that we don’t understand or aren’t ‘politically correct’. Why is that?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">I’ll say it again – <i>Jesus talked about judgment and hell more than almost anything else in Scripture</i>. So if we ignore what he says on this topic, we might as well ignore everything else he said as well.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Either he was God and knew what he was talking about, or he was slightly confused and we can’t rely on him at all. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">The foundational issue here really isn’t about hell, <b>it’s about Jesus</b>: do we really believe who he says he is? Do we believe he speaks truth? That’s the first issue we need to settle in our hearts. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">If we say yes to that, then we need to seriously take his words regarding hell and judgment to heart.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #073763; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>5. Jesus taught that hell was made for the devil, not for humankind. He taught that it was a real place, a place of eternal torment and punishment. He used images people could understand to reveal that it was the worst thing imaginable.</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><u>A. Hell was made for the devil.</u></b> Jesus said: “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire <i>prepared for the devil and his angels</i>” (Mt 25:41). So we see that hell was not originally made for humans, but for the devil. It was not God’s original intention that people enter hell and eternal fire. However, once sin came into the world we came under God’s judgment. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">He is totally holy and sin can’t come anywhere near his presence. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>B. Jesus also taught that <u>because of sin this world is now under the control of the devil, the “evil one”</u>.</b> Jesus called the devil the “prince of this world” (John 12:31) and the “ruler of this world” (John 14:30 and 16:11). He also said to Paul, “I am sending you…to open their eyes and turn them from <i>darkness to light</i>, and <i>from the power of satan to God</i>, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:18. See also 2 Cor 4:4; Eph 2:2).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">All those verses are to show this one thing: Because of our sinfulness, <i>the devil has rule over us</i>. And if he is the one ruling us, <b><i>our punishment will be the same as his</i></b>. If we’re following him in this life (and by default of our sinfulness everyone is) <b><i>then we’ll follow him into eternity</i></b>. However, if through repentance and faith in Jesus’ sacrifice we have turned “from darkness to light and from the power of satan to God” then our sins are forgiven. The great news is that there is forgiveness of sins and <b><i>if we follow Jesus in this life, we’ll follow Him into eternity</i></b>!<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>C. Hell is a place of <u>punishment and torment</u>.</b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Jesus said it was a place of eternal <b>punishment</b> (Mt 25:46) and,<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">A place of “<b>Weeping and gnashing of teeth</b>” (8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; cf Luke 13:28)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>D. Hell and punishment are <u>eternal</u>.</b></div><ul><li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"></span><b>Eternal</b> fire (Mt 18:8; 25:41)</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"></span><b>Eternal</b> punishment (Mt 25:46) </li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Note that in both these places “eternal” is the Greek word “aionios”, which can only be translated “eternal,” (never ‘temporal’ or ‘a period of time’). It is used 68 times in Scripture and most often refers to “eternal life” but also refers to the eternal nature of God; the Holy Spirit; salvation; the Gospel; and God’s covenant. <b><i>It is never used for anything less than eternal</i></b>.</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b style="color: #073763;">6. </b><span style="color: #073763;">Hell is a very real and terrible place. Jesus himself said so many, many times. </span><b><span style="color: #073763;">But we don’t bash people over the head with this truth, because the reality is ALL OF US deserve hell because of our sinfulness.</span> </b>NO ONE is good enough to enter “eternal life” and the presence of God. </div> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3pUz3zi9Gr3QwaQjEOXe6aIA9U90UGDD4axpufOP7dBwcDTDcbmdork6Uczq09pygeC6KuL16qqusvDoN8jkT8IYGZZLGxY0gBf2-8YXW6jxxZZAwz0Kz4tmYweqSLZjPBWyeuHfh9edt/s1600/broken-window1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3pUz3zi9Gr3QwaQjEOXe6aIA9U90UGDD4axpufOP7dBwcDTDcbmdork6Uczq09pygeC6KuL16qqusvDoN8jkT8IYGZZLGxY0gBf2-8YXW6jxxZZAwz0Kz4tmYweqSLZjPBWyeuHfh9edt/s200/broken-window1.jpg" width="200" /></a>If I have a huge glass window in the front of my home, it doesn’t matter if you throw a big rock through it or a little rock through it…both will shatter the glass. And it doesn’t matter if we’ve “sinned big”, or “sinned little,” any sin will shatter the holiness necessary to come before God. Only through Jesus can we be forgiven and be remade into the type of people who can enter His presence.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b style="color: #073763;">7. But why such a harsh punishment?</b><span style="color: #073763;"> </span> Why would the things done in this short life have such huge consequences? Doesn’t that seem a little unfair? That’s a good question. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">My <b>first</b> response is – I didn’t make this up, it’s what Jesus clearly taught (over and over) by referring to hell as a place of eternal torment. Again, read Matthew 13:37-42; 13:47-50; 18:7-9; 18:32-35; 22:1-14; 24:45-51; 25:41-46. You can ignore it, but you’ll be ignoring Jesus. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>Secondly</b>, I want us to step back and look at another area of life that provides a great analogy in regards to eternity – the womb.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTAzDEc_Uq5vvCJN0GMTKzlE_ki05LcwJkpDlanTzQlQhN2rZFKFxcudAUDTfb09NZoXbM9IlS4uko_14p9610Ze1njkkxOzeWHWmdJRVbXFl9TVIgqgD5tLa6HVB3yX68r7InxSJDI9q6/s1600/pregnant-lady-three.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTAzDEc_Uq5vvCJN0GMTKzlE_ki05LcwJkpDlanTzQlQhN2rZFKFxcudAUDTfb09NZoXbM9IlS4uko_14p9610Ze1njkkxOzeWHWmdJRVbXFl9TVIgqgD5tLa6HVB3yX68r7InxSJDI9q6/s200/pregnant-lady-three.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">My wife just gave birth to our second son. While pregnant she was very careful what she ate and what kind of exercises and work she took part in. Why? Because those 9 short months (doesn’t feel short at the time!) <i>will affect the baby for the rest of its life</i>. She didn’t drink alcohol, barely touched caffeine and didn’t do belly-flops at the pool from the high-diving board. Why not? Because she knew it would affect the baby! Her choices during those <b><i><u>months</u></i></b> would have consequences for <b><i><u>decades</u></i></b>! </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">In much the same way, these few years here on earth are preparing us for the thousands of years in eternity. For a physical life to be born, there's this stage of growth in the womb. For a spiritual life to come to maturity, there's also been appointed this time on earth. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Our choices in this life affect the next. Whether we like it or not, we can’t get around it. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>Third</b>, we need to remember the Justice of God. What would a country be like if the government didn’t punish murderers, rapists, thieves? It would not be loving – it would be chaos, it would be hellish! God is the ultimate judge, he knows the hearts and deeds of all, and one day he will judge with justice.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>Fourth</b>, God is a holy God. Sin is an offense against HIM. <i>We need to understand that the greater honor someone deserves, the greater the consequences for dishonoring them. </i> For example, if you slap me, that won't get you into too much danger. But if you slap the president - you'll be in trouble! God is the ultimate authority, worthy of greatest praise and infinite honor. The natural consequences for spitting in the face of <i>infinite honor</i> is <i>infinite punishment</i>. Whether we understand it on this side of eternity or not the reality is that “the punishment fits the crime” – for all of us.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">At this point I want to remind us, this punishment was NEVER intended for us – it was made for the devil (Mt 25:41). But because of our sinfulness, we’ve all become aligned with the devil in this life and so will enter into his punishment in the next.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Again, the reality is that NONE of us deserve life/heaven. ALL of us deserve hell. All of us have dishonored God, have broken his laws, have spat in his face. <b>The surprise isn't that hell exists</b>. The real surprise is that heaven exists - and that we are offered the opportunity to actually be with God forever! </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #073763; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>8. SO WHAT should our response be?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>A. We should stand in awe of God for his mercy.</b> The reality is that all of us deserve hell. The fact that the door to eternal life has been opened is incredible grace!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>B. We need to live in light of eternity with the way we live and the choices we make</b>. This life is short - it would be foolish to focus on this brief existence, ignoring the reality of eternity to come. As someone once said, <i><span style="color: #660000;">"Only one life, it will soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last."</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>C. We need to share the news of God's grace with others.</b><b> </b> We don't bash them over the head with 'turn or burn'. Rather we gently share the reality of eternal things, the reality of how sin kills and how we need God's love to bring us to wholeness. Paul, after talking about Judgment Day, put it this way:</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">“Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade people…” (2 Cor 5:11).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">That's why Jesus was so clear in telling his disciples to "GO into all the world" and share this message. We all deserve hell...but he's made a way out! </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>D. Finally, we must always speak the truth with heartfelt love, sharing the same attitude as Jesus</b> who “wept over Jerusalem” (Luke 19:41) and Paul who “never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears” (Acts 20:31).</div><div></div><div><br />
<i><b>Verses from Matthew on Hell and Judgment:</b></i></div><div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>5:</b>22,29,30; <b>7</b>:13,19, 23; <b>8</b>:12; <b>10</b>:15, 28; <b>11</b>:22, 24; <b>12</b>:36, 41, 42;</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>13</b>:40-42; 49-50; <b>18</b>:6.8.9, 34; <b>22</b>:7,13; <b>23</b>:15,33; 24:51;</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b>25</b>:11-13, 30, 41-46</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /><div id="ftn1"><div class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3959195533351318890#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span></span></a> <a href="http://ahssan.wordpress.com/2009/01/30/remembering-mahatma-gandhi/">http://ahssan.wordpress.com/2009/01/30/remembering-mahatma-gandhi/</a> </div></div><div id="ftn2"><div class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3959195533351318890#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[2]</span></span></span></a> See John 1:1; 20:28; Hebrews 1:8-12; 1 John 5:20; Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 1:1 for a few examples.</div></div><div id="ftn3"><div class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3959195533351318890#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[3]</span></span></span></a> See John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:10</div></div><div id="ftn4"><div class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3959195533351318890#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[4]</span></span></span></a> J. Budziszewski, How to stay Christian in College, (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2004), page 42.</div></div><div id="ftn5"><div class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3959195533351318890#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[5]</span></span></span></a> John Piper, Brothers We are Not Professionals, (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2002), page 114.</div></div></div>Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17073625555912048514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3959195533351318890.post-23933259354055333382011-04-20T19:00:00.000-07:002011-05-10T05:20:26.329-07:00<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>LOVE WINS: Rob Bell Doesn’t.</b></u></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
<span id="goog_1762904427"></span><span id="goog_1762904428"></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIf_i2dU1oB57jZmPNJnwie8tXznqAxfwivJuQcN4V6p127cADPFoBAax0Mr-lPsODrr2bbC6NXn9MA4yIN0SFCim0PMi39tY3ll75Kl0Q8xTaBtV6a_8B6xfZyBziMlB0IAiyvQuS0LqV/s1600/rob-bell-LOVE-WINS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIf_i2dU1oB57jZmPNJnwie8tXznqAxfwivJuQcN4V6p127cADPFoBAax0Mr-lPsODrr2bbC6NXn9MA4yIN0SFCim0PMi39tY3ll75Kl0Q8xTaBtV6a_8B6xfZyBziMlB0IAiyvQuS0LqV/s320/rob-bell-LOVE-WINS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
Over the last month there has been quite a response to Rob Bell’s new book “Love Wins.” Some seem upset, others wonder what the big deal is anyway? I’d previously read Bell’s book “Velvet Elvis” (and some of “God wants to save Christians”) and appreciated some of the things he had to say, so I was looking forward to reading this one and hearing his side of the conversation. I affirm the need for dialogue and know that God’s a big God and he doesn’t mind questions being asked. So I ordered the book and jumped right in.<br />
<br />
Boy. Was I disappointed.<br />
<br />
Rather than a well researched, carefully thought out look at “Heaven, Hell and the fate of every person who ever lived,” I found an emotionally charged book with cynical caricatures of Christianity, glaring omissions, out-of-context passages and really lousy scholarship.<br />
<br />
Seriously. <br />
<br />
While I agree with much of what he wrote about heaven and appreciate some of his insights on hell I was overall really disappointed. Now I don’t have anything personal against Rob Bell, but I love Jesus and his words, and I hate to see them twisted, omitted and distorted. I also believe that those in positions of leadership like his have a higher level of responsibility. <br />
<br />
And since Rob Bell invites us to ask questions – I will; and since we’re encouraged to join the conversation – I’ll do just that. And by the way, please understand that when I say “Love Wins: Rob Bell doesn’t” I’m not referring to his salvation! I’m just saying his book is definitely <i><b>not </b></i>a winner!<br />
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While there’s a lot in the book I disagree with - I don’t have time to discuss it all - what I’ll do is just highlight a few of the main issues (which are: <i>unsubstantiated claims, flippant treatment of Jesus’ words, twisted Scripture, and glaring omissions of Scripture</i>). <br />
I’ll conclude with a few reasons why these issues are so important and worth taking a stand on. And then in another post I’ll take the time to look at what Scripture actually says about hell and why it matters in the first place. This blog is a little long (sorry!), but I encourage you to read it all. You can also download this as a pdf <a href="http://www.missiological.com/Love%20Wins,%20Rob%20Bell%20Doesn%27t.pdf">here</a>.<br />
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<b>1. Unsubstantiated claims</b><br />
The first thing that I found unfortunate were his many unsubstantiated claims. Bell opens with a series of rapid-fire, emotionally charged questions and accusations (see chapter one)...leaving the reader with barely room to breathe, much less actually try to answer them. <br />
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He opens the book stating “there are a growing number of us who have become acutely aware that Jesus’s story has been hijacked by a number of other stories, stories Jesus isn’t interested in telling…” But the question is, HOW has Jesus’ story been hijacked, and WHO hijacked it? Is every reader supposed to invent his own answer to that? Bell doesn’t provide any answer…he just states it and hopes you’ll accept it. And who are this “growing number” that have sudden insight into this hijacking of Jesus? <br />
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He states that there are “untold numbers” of Christians who have said what he’s about to say an “untold number” of times (see preface, page “x”). But he doesn’t say who…you’re just supposed to agree. He eventually does list a few names on page 108, but half of the list are people who wrote against such views as his! <br />
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As Kevin DeYoung states,</div><blockquote>Bell also mentions Jerome, Basil, and Augustine because they claimed many people in their day believed in the ultimate reconciliation of all people to God (107). But listing all the heavyweights who took time to refute the position you are now espousing is not a point in your favor. Most egregiously, Bell calls on Martin Luther in support of post-mortem salvation (106). But as Carl Trueman has pointed out, anyone familiar with Luther’s credal statements and overall writing, not to mention the actual quotation in question, will quickly see that Luther is not on Bell’s side.</blockquote><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You can find his whole (lengthy!) article <a href="http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2011/03/14/rob-bell-love-wins-review/">here</a>.<br />
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DeYoung goes on to quote renowned theologian Richard Bauckham:</div><blockquote>Until the nineteenth century almost all Christian theologians taught the reality of eternal torment in hell. Here and there, outside the theological mainstream, were some who believed that the wicked would be finally annihilated. . . . Even fewer were the advocates of universal salvation, though these few included some major theologians of the early church. Eternal punishment was firmly asserted in official creeds and confessions of the churches. It must have seemed as indispensable a part of the universal Christian belief as the doctrines of the Trinity and the incarnation. (“Universalism: A Historical Survey,” Themelios 4.2 [September 1978]: 47–54)</blockquote><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
I was also saddened by his repeated claim that people who care about an eternal heaven and an eternal hell don’t care about helping people in this life. He states, “Often the people most concerned about others going to hell when they die seem less concerned with the hells on earth right now…” (p 78. See also p 45). As one who belongs to an evangelical tradition that is very concerned with eternal realities and is also very concerned with relieving human suffering I find those statements astounding! While he gets annoyed at those in chapter one that judge others, he seems to have no problem pointing the finger in judgment as well! The churches and ministries we’ve worked with (both in North America and around the world as missionaries) not only preach a Biblical Gospel, but also feed the hungry, house the homeless, take care of the leper, orphan and widow; provide schooling for those in poverty…and the list could go on. While there are certainly times in church history where what he has said is true, it’s incredibly rash to make such judgmental blanket statements!<br />
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His main claim (<i>one we’ll look at in more detail below</i>) is that hell isn’t the place of “eternal punishment” that Jesus seems to mention in Scripture. Instead it’s something like a purgatorial rehab center. You’re in for a while, you see the light, then you step over into heaven.<br />
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He also reinterprets straight-forward stories Jesus tells of Lazarus and the rich man (see p 74,75) stating that “no wonder Abraham says there’s a chasm that can’t be crossed. The chasm is the rich man’s heart!” Sounds good, but in context that’s not what Jesus was saying. And in the story of the Prodigal son (see pages 165 and following) he concludes that “Hell is being at the party” that the Father throws (page 169). Again, not at all what Jesus said. <br />
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And so it leads me to ask, “Who is hijacking the stories of Jesus now?” <br />
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<b>2. Flippant treatment of eternal things</b><br />
Bell highlights the fact that the main Greek word for hell is “Gehenna” – a literal area of town outside the city where people threw their garbage. It was an incredibly horrible place, where not only garbage, but human and animal corpses were thrown to be burnt and/or eaten by scavenging animals. It was there that Manasseh sacrificed his children in the fire (2 Chron 33:6 – The Greek “Gehenna” is the equivalent of the Hebrew “Valley of Ben Hinnom”). And Jeremiah called it the "valley of slaughter" (see Jer 7:32,33). It was a place of filth, of death – you could smell it, hear it, sense it…and you did all you could to avoid it. <br />
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But Bell flippantly concludes: “So the next time someone asks you if you believe in an actual hell, you can always say, “Yes, I do believe that my garbage goes somewhere…” (p68).<br />
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Excuse me? I know he’s just trying to be witty, but you can’t shove truth aside so easily!<br />
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Consider this: A friend of mine told me she’d been raped and that it was a hellish experience. Should I have turned to her, shrugged and said, “Oh really? Well, I’ve had some pretty trashy days too!” That would have been inexcusable. But this is how easily Bell casts aside Jesus’ words regarding the horrific place we call hell.<br />
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What Jesus is getting at when he uses Gehenna is that <i><b>it’s the worst thing imaginable</b></i>. How does God describe things that are beyond human grasp? He uses shared experiences of something in this life to give a picture of something far greater. He calls himself a “Door” – not that he’s a piece of wood, but because He’s the one that protects and keeps evil away. It’s an image people can grasp, but the reality is He’s far greater than a door. He calls himself a “vine” not because he’s a little twig, but to show that in a far greater way He gives us life. He calls himself “bread” not because he’s a little piece of food, but to show that in a far greater way He gives strength and life. He uses the image of Gehenna to give a small picture of the far greater reality of the horrors of hell: <i>it’s the worst thing imaginable</i>. That’s the point of Gehenna.<br />
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<b>3. Omitting important verses.</b><br />
What’s puzzling to me is how Bell in his very quick skim of verses relating to hell omits some very important and relevant ones. On page 83 and following he states he’ll look at passages that talk of hell but without mentioning it specifically. He then picks and chooses a few passages that on the surface seem to prove his point about hell being a sort of “rehab” in the afterlife. <br />
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If you were to ask me what Old Testament Scriptures speak of eternal punishment the two that immediately come to mind are Isaiah 66:24 and Daniel 12:2. Why these? Because Isaiah 66:24 is the <i><b>only </b></i>Old Testament passage Jesus quotes regarding hell. So I’d say it’s pretty relevant! But Bell omits it. And Daniel 12:2 serves as a backdrop for Revelation chapters 20-22 where the apostle John speaks of the end of all things, including eternal judgment. They are some of the only Old Testament passages that speak clearly of the end of time.<br />
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So let’s look at Mark 9:42-48 where Jesus quotes the Isaiah 66 passage:</div><blockquote>"And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.<br />
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell [Gehenna], where "'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.' {Isaiah 66:24}</blockquote><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
Notice the last line. Jesus uses the Isaiah 66 passage to refer to Hell as a place of <b>eternal</b> punishment (note that their worm <i><b>does not die</b></i> and the fire <i><b>is not</b></i> quenched). Jesus wants the disciples to know that their idea of hell (Gehenna) isn’t just about a garbage dump, it’s about something far greater…and he uses this Isaiah passage to get that message across. If you read the Isaiah passage in context (66:22-24) you’ll see that it speaks of the end of this age as we know it, the time of the “New heaven and new earth” (66:22). Parallel to that time is this eternal punishment. Rather than skipping over this verse, Jesus intentionally uses it to show both the horror of hell as well as its continuing character.<br />
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But, that doesn’t seem to fit Rob Bell’s idea, so he omits it.<br />
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Daniel 12 also speaks of God’s day of judgment, saying, “everyone whose name is found written in the book will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.” The apostle John alludes to this in Revelation 20:11-15. Note that the Daniel passage speaks of “everlasting life” and “everlasting contempt.” If Bell is right and hell is just a short stint in rehab then was Daniel confused? Why does he speak of this everlasting contempt? <br />
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Again, it doesn’t fit Rob Bells point of view – so he just skips it. Pretends it isn’t there.<br />
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These aren’t the only areas where Bell conveniently skips a passage on judgment. I find it interesting how he quotes passage after passage from the Prophets about restoration (see pages 85-87), but says not a word when those same prophets speak of judgment. <br />
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A good example of this is his Isaiah 59 quote where he’s trying to show that “God gets what God wants.” Rob quotes Isaiah saying, “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear?” (see p 101). The strange thing is Rob stops right there. He doesn’t even tell you the exact verse he’s quoting. It’s actually Isaiah 59:1-2 which in context says, “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have <b>separated </b>you from your God; your sins have <b>hidden his face</b> from you…”<br />
God can save, God can hear…the problem is our sins have caused a separation. That’s what Isaiah says. But Rob only quotes the first part. I guess the second half doesn’t fit his theology.<br />
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He quotes John 3:16 in the opening, highlighting the love of God (page vii) but omits verses 18 and 36 of John 3 that speak of judgment. (Note especially John 3:36 – “whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” It doesn’t say they’ll eventually see life…but that they will not see life. The New Testament always speaks of judgment in a final sense).<br />
I don’t have time to get into it here, but he also totally ignores what Paul, Peter, Jude, Luke and John state about hell and judgment! We’ll look at these in a later post when we look at what Scripture actually does say about hell and judgment – and why it matters in the first place.<br />
I could go on, but as this is getting long I’ll move to another big problem that I see in this book.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Really lousy scholarship and exegesis</b><br />
What really surprised me was how Bell totally misinterpreted the Matthew 25 passage on the sheep and the goats. On page 31 in his talk about heaven Rob Bell mentions how the word “age” in the term “age to come” is “aion” in Greek. The word “aion,” he rightly concludes, can mean either “age” or “period of time”…it doesn’t necessarily mean “forever.” So far so good. <br />
The problem arises when he later picks it up in reference to hell on page 91. Bell states, “The goats are sent, in the Greek language, to an aion of kolazo. Aion, we know, has several meanings. One is ‘age’ or ‘period of time’…Depending on how you translate aion and kolazo, then, the phrase can mean ‘a period of pruning’…”<br />
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That sounds good. Except, the problem is, that’s NOT what the Greek says.<br />
<br />
Oops.<br />
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In Matthew 25:46 the Greek is actually “aionios kolasis” NOT “aion kolazo.” Now I know that most of us don’t know Greek so it’s easy to overlook a few letters and think “big deal!” But, I can tell you it actually makes a HUGE difference. What Bell has done has substituted the root words for the words themselves. But you just can’t do that…not in Greek, not in any language! <br />
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But Bell does. Twice.<br />
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Let me give a few examples to show the error here. In Greek the word Christ is “Christos” and the word Christian is “Christianos.” Christos is the root word and differs from Christianos by only 3 letters. Big deal, right? <br />
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If I came to you and said I was a Christian, you probably wouldn’t have much of a problem with that. However, if I came to you and said I was Christ…you may be tempted to lock me up in a padded room! There’s a big difference between the word itself (Christian) and its root (Christ).<br />
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Let’s illustrate that now with two words: My brother-in-law is a police officer and a Christian. A “Christian Officer.” Now suppose I take the root words of that title (Christ, Office) and string them together, I could make up some pretty wacky theology. Such as: Since the term Christian Officer is really made up of “office” and “Christ” we can say that the only job Jesus actually approves of is being a policeman, since it is, after all, the “Office of Christ”. Lame logic. You can’t switch root words for actual words.<br />
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The bottom line is you can’t just replace Greek words when you want the Scriptures to say something else! Even if it’s a ‘related’ or ‘root’ word. Again, the actual Greek is “aionios kolasis” which means “eternal punishment”…you can check it for yourself <a href="http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Mat&c=25&v=46&t=NIV#conc/46">here</a>. In fact the word “aionios” is used 68 times in the New Testament and it <i><b>always </b></i>means “eternal,” never a “period of time”…you can check it out <a href="http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G166&t=NIV">here</a>. Every translation I checked translates it as “eternal” or “everlasting”…because that’s just what the Scripture says. <br />
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One should also note that this is the main word used for “<i><b>eternal life</b></i>.” A question to ask Bell is “if aionios really means ‘period of time’ – then what happens to eternal life?” Will we experience eternal life just for a season? Then what? Do we vanish? You can’t arbitrarily switch the meanings of words. If “eternal” really means “period of time” then eternal life needs to be translated as just a short period of time as well. On top of this, it is the same word used of God in Romans 16:26 – so if Bell is right then God is only a temporal god. Not only so but our redemption is temporal (Heb 9:12) and the Spirit (Heb 9:14) will be around just temporarily. All these instances use the same word. <br />
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The truth is that Matthew 25 uses “aionios” and EVERY use of “aionios” is translated “eternal.” That’s just what it means! You can’t hide the fact that Jesus taught about eternal punishment. <br />
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He did. Numerous times. <br />
The question is, what will our response be to this truth?<br />
<u><b><br />
Why does all this matter?</b></u><br />
Why have I spent the time to give this critique of Bell’s book? First of all, because as I said earlier, I love Jesus, his words and I hate to see them twisted. But also because Bell is a well-known speaker, a fantastic communicator and a leader that many look up to. As such there are a lot of people who will just swallow what he has to say without checking it out for themselves. In his book not only does he present a twisted caricature of Christianity but also sets the following example:<br />
1. Bell’s theology teaches we can omit chunks of the Bible we don’t like.<br />
2. Bell’s theology teaches us to reinterpret clear teachings of Jesus.<br />
3. Bell’s theology allows us to twist/replace Scripture with whatever suits our taste.<br />
4. Bell’s theology teaches us to be flippant with eternal things.<br />
5. Bell’s theology teaches us we don’t need to be so concerned about those that reject Jesus.<br />
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There are other issues at stake here as well…for a few of them check out <a href="http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2011/03/14/rob-bell-love-wins-review/">the article mentioned earlier</a> or Randy Alcorn's comments <a href="http://www.bibleprophecyblog.com/2011/04/rob-bells-love-wins-and-biblical.html">here</a>.<br />
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“Love Wins” makes me ask the question – which Jesus should I believe? <br />
The Rob Bell one-sided, censored Jesus? The Jesus that doesn’t talk about judgment, repentance, condemnation and only focuses on the love of God? <br />
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Or do I believe the Jesus of Scripture? <br />
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The fact of the matter is that Jesus is God: He knows better than anyone else whether hell exists or not. He not only speaks of God’s love, he speaks of those that will be separated from God’s love. He speaks of forgiveness, as well as judgment; hope as well as hell. The reason Jesus speaks more about hell than about almost any other topic is because of love. He knows hell is real, and he doesn't want anyone to end up there.<br />
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Love doesn't ignore the truth. It doesn't white-wash it or sweet-talk it away. <br />
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There is a story at play that is deeper, more real, more intense than Rob Bell can imagine. Love does win...but not in the way Bell presents it.<br />
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The uncensored Jesus makes this clear.</div>Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17073625555912048514noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3959195533351318890.post-72219412991158604752011-04-14T19:22:00.000-07:002011-04-14T20:26:17.007-07:00<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Reasons why I don’t use soap: </b></u></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsGP6Zr9IAv3ECUo5-WDtDxaOKK_QW_gC4-CXn3JxMWEjdnmbOBJjq9_f4JHfXM-fTbkA1PtvXgsw05OiqBY2EM4ZkizKdsjUKslev_3ryyuhehE5_Vl5I55qZZ6HVE9VF7Oj0vTDkmGU/s1600/kids+dirty+face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsGP6Zr9IAv3ECUo5-WDtDxaOKK_QW_gC4-CXn3JxMWEjdnmbOBJjq9_f4JHfXM-fTbkA1PtvXgsw05OiqBY2EM4ZkizKdsjUKslev_3ryyuhehE5_Vl5I55qZZ6HVE9VF7Oj0vTDkmGU/s1600/kids+dirty+face.jpg" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b><br />
</b></u></span></div><ol style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;">Because I was forced to use soap in childhood</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Those who use soap are hypocrites, they think they’re cleaner than everyone else.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Because nobody taught me how to use soap in my childhood</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">I only use soap for special holidays – Christmas and Easter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">None of my friends use soap.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">I’ll begin to use soap when I get old and dirty</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">I just don’t have time for using soap</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Soap manufacturers are just out to make money.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">I’m clean enough without using soap.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">All the wars in the world are because of soap.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Science proved long ago that no soap, even the most perfect kind, gets rid of every molecule of dirt. So washing is not rational and soap only serves as “opium for the dirty.” </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Compared to other people, I'm not that dirty.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">It’s not right to teach children to use soap from childhood. When they grow up they can decide for themselves whether they want to use soap.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">I’ll only wash with soap when I fully understand it from a scientific point of view.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">I was turned off of soap by those selling it on TV. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">I tried to wash once, but then I got dirty again.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">I don’t believe dirt really exists.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">I don’t believe soap really exists.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Soap is only for old people who have nothing else to do.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Soap is just a crutch. </span></li>
</ol><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">We found and translated the above from a <a href="http://novoevino.livejournal.com/200184.html">Russian website</a> <span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> and added a few more of our own as well :) </span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17073625555912048514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3959195533351318890.post-24899913999420423522011-04-02T08:04:00.000-07:002011-04-02T08:04:01.362-07:00<div style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>DON'T GET TOO RADICAL!!!</b></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIX4ZHibLfPYA7iIEjUa7SpxHvJeQKj8opM0pfHWt6DQqf2fKldNqbDyT8dDri86mu4N4lDQKtVJvmZeYoZ9shbNK_oSn_jWwnjm4tl6u-UBLmSDQQ730MzK_uAVWIWez5o_VAhBO8FUgs/s1600/moses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIX4ZHibLfPYA7iIEjUa7SpxHvJeQKj8opM0pfHWt6DQqf2fKldNqbDyT8dDri86mu4N4lDQKtVJvmZeYoZ9shbNK_oSn_jWwnjm4tl6u-UBLmSDQQ730MzK_uAVWIWez5o_VAhBO8FUgs/s320/moses.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
A while ago I was reading the dialogue between Pharaoh and Moses over letting "My people go." As I read I began to see how it parallels the way the devil often tempts us to compromise total obedience to God. Check out Exodus 7-11.<br />
The first compromise Pharaoh suggested, was for Israel just worship God near Egypt ("Don't go too far away!" Ex 8:28). When that didn't work he suggested, "Ok, you can worship - but not as families!" (Ex 10:10,11). But that wasn't good enough for God. Pharaoh tried another tactic..."ok, you can go...but leave your goods, the stuff you own, with us in Egypt" (10:24). But Moses wasn't taken in. Finally, after the Plague of the firstborn & the entire land of Egypt was devastated they were allowed to leave. <br />
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<b>In the same way,</b> when God gives us a dream and we attempt to head out to the Promised Land the devil tempts us in similar fashion. "You wanna worship God, eh? Go ahead...but don't be too different than the rest of us. Don't get too radical or do anything too drastic...just stay nearby, so you can return with ease and settle back into "normal" life again..." That liar will try to keep us as close to the world as possible, he'll want us to compromise and think, "well, after all, I am worshipping God, aren't I? I know I'm not totally sold out, but that doesn't matter does it?"<br />
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<b>If that doesn't stop us</b> he'll try his next tactic, "Ok, go ahead and be a worshipper of God...but just don't let it spread to those around you. Keep it private and personal...don't let your family know about it (they may think you're weird anyway!)" And we'll begin to separate our lives into a few areas: Here's my God part (that's on Sunday) and here's the rest of it. I'm already sacrificing on Sunday...what more could God want?<br />
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<b>But the radical ones won't be taken in by that scheme. </b> So that ol' serpent will hiss another line at you, "Okay, be a worshipper...you can even let your family in on this too...but leave your goods, your wealth in my care. Don't be too radical now, you've given God your life and family...giving him your earthly goods is WAY too much!" Even the devil knows the truth of Jesus' words "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also!" But the God-fearers, those whose hearts have been won by the Almighty, they won't let the devil take care of their resources! Like Moses, they know that their wealth is to be a "sacrifice" and that they'll use these gifts of God to "worship the Lord" (see 10:25,26).<br />
<br />
And so the Moses-like, the Radical ones, turn away from Egypt and give their all to the King of Kings. Like Elisha, they burn the ties with their old life (1 Kings 19:21), like the disciples they forsake their old life for the glory of being in Jesus' presence (Mt 4:18-22). They don't worship half-heartedly, in the world and hidden away, with their treasures secure in satan's grasp. They give their all, they sacrifice, take up their cross and see the wonders of an obedient life!Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17073625555912048514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3959195533351318890.post-77587184657483204032011-02-26T15:48:00.000-08:002011-02-26T15:48:04.529-08:00<div style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>MISSIONS IS MANDATORY!</b></span></i></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Contrary to popular belief, obeying the great commission to “<i><b>Go and make disciples of all nations</b></i>” (Matt 28:19) is not optional! Unfortunately, it seems that the devil has tricked many of us into thinking otherwise. It reminds me of an incident that happened years ago…</span></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jSesxX2pZrFUAvnvwH2CCvEEQIaa5WVSb5Y-Wn8Jl06CDEivBNke47f1oAOud1DBPdLbk8kA5uhCnILJS6GgLh2dNVZXd57mofls0efuxUSO9BwgT7yzxkZvF4vcD7HtuvFjb6JgsUmw/s1600/goggles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jSesxX2pZrFUAvnvwH2CCvEEQIaa5WVSb5Y-Wn8Jl06CDEivBNke47f1oAOud1DBPdLbk8kA5uhCnILJS6GgLh2dNVZXd57mofls0efuxUSO9BwgT7yzxkZvF4vcD7HtuvFjb6JgsUmw/s320/goggles.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When I was about 11 years of age my cousin Tim and I went to play squash. We found some rackets, got a bouncy little ball and headed to the court. Just before we entered, we saw a sign on the door (you couldn’t miss it): “Eye-goggles Mandatory.”</span></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We turned to each other and asked that all-important question, “What in the world does ‘mandatory’ mean?” With wisdom in his 9 yr old eyes, my cousin said, “I think it means something like ‘optional.’” Amazed at his great learning, I chimed in, “You know, I think you’re right!” So in we walked ready to play our little hearts out. </span></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Five minutes later I was writhing on the floor, having just taken a squash ball to the eye. My dad quickly drove me to the Emergency Room. Wouldn’t you know it, the first words out of the doctors mouth were, “Doesn’t that squash court have a sign saying eye-goggles are mandatory?” In between tears I tried to explain the conclusion my cousin and I had arrived at – we sincerely believed the sign meant goggles were “optional!”</span></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Likewise, many in the church today look at the Great Commission as optional. Or perhaps some feel that it’s mandatory for evangelists or super-Christians, Bible College students or adventurous unmarried folk. But surely it doesn’t mean me? For me it’s optional, right?</span></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I fear that one day, with tears streaming down our face as we stand before the Great Physician, we’ll be pathetically trying to excuse our actions in this life. <i> “But Lord, I sincerely didn’t realize you were talking to me! Well, You know, I thought of going after I retired…maybe.”</i> Or, <i>“But Lord, I couldn’t just quit my job!”</i> Or <i>“But what about my kids...?”</i></span></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As pioneer missionary, C.T. Studd so powerfully stated, </span></div><blockquote style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"I am getting desperately afraid of going to heaven for I have had the vision of the shame I shall suffer as I get my first glimpse of the Lord Jesus; His majesty, power and marvelous love for me, who treated Him so meanly and shabbily on earth, and acted as though I did Him a favor in serving Him! No wonder God shall have to wipe away the tears off all faces, for we shall be broken-hearted when we see the depth of His love and the shallowness of ours."</span></blockquote><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am not trying to bring guilt on anyone, nor am I saying that disobeying the Great Commission will make you lose your salvation. No, it won’t send you to hell. But – note this – your disobedience could send others to hell. It can rob dozens or hundreds or thousands from ever hearing the life-saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let this serious truth be known: there are many whose salvation hinges on your obedience! With over 50,000 people who die daily without ever hearing the Name of Jesus, with billions still lost, our task is clear! Missions is mandatory! </span></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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</style> <![endif]--> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>It’s not optional.<span> </span>It’s not the Great Suggestion.<span> </span>Can you imagine Jesus shouting, “Hey Peter, ask the other guys if they think it’s a good idea to go into all the world to be my witnesses.<span> </span>Think about it and get back to me with your answer…”<span> </span>No, you are called to <b>go</b>; or you are called to <b>send</b> through prayer and through financial backing.<span> </span><b>You</b> are called to do <i>something</i> in obedience to the Great Commission!<span> </span>God has gifted you, He’s given you talents to use for His Kingdom’s sake.<span> </span>Seek His face until He makes your role in missions clear.<span> </span>Search for opportunities to serve, send or go.<span> </span>Jesus wasn’t just joking around - <b><i>missions is mandatory</i></b>!</span></span></div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div>Jonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17073625555912048514noreply@blogger.com0