Spreading the Gospel

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Greg’s Blog: Volume 2: Number 80

How can we spread the Gospel to creative access countries? First, a creative access country is a country where missionaries or an expatriate cannot get a visa. These countries are hostile towards Christianity; they might not let you evangelize or start a church. So, how can we fulfill the Great Commission in a creative access country?

This may be a challenging task, yet not impossible with some creativity. God is a relational God and Christianity is built on relationships. We just have to look for a way to build relationships. Some ways are: Christian business people or students who go to such countries to work or study, teachers whose subject(s) are in demand, people could work whether menial or professional which are in need, and communication through the internet and radio. In each one of these scenarios the individual could demonstrate their Christian character. Where there is an access point, there is a way to build relationships and introduce the love of Jesus.

Today, I want to introduce to you what it would take to prepare for teaching English with the Alliance in a creative access country. First, we may need specialized training in areas such as Second Language Acquisition (SLA), Teaching English to Speakers of Other Language (TESOL), and Intercultural Communications. Second, we would have to setup a curriculum. Third, we would need to build a budget.

SLA and TESOL classes can be found onlinei. These courses will prepare an English speaking person to be better language learners and receive tools that will help them effectively teach non-English speaking people to speak English. Many software programs and apps are available to assist English Language Learners (ELL)/English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)/Limited English Proficiency (LEP)/English as a Second Language (ESL) to learn

English. Several software programs are: Rosetta Stone, Simon & Schuster’s Pimsleur, Rocket Languages, Babbel, Fluenz. Several mobile apps are: Living Language English Mobile, FluentU, Mindsnacks, Lingoda, Open Language Memrise. Another course of interest would be on International Communications which prepares people for cross-cultural living and ministry. This course will help you understand the background information, history, customs, holidays, and lifestyles. The more you understand about a culture and its language, the more you can build relationships through them instead of against them.

Setting up a curriculum would help to prepare for classroom teaching plans, books, and a set of courses to followii. Knowing which books will be taught will help set up beginning, intermediate, and advanced English classes. Books that show duel languages are very helpful too. A couple Spanish English Bibles are ESV Spanish/English Parallel Bible and Biblia Bilingue RVR 1960 (Spanish Edition). When developing a curriculum, one must establish a nurturing environment, utilize as many of the senses (seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting) as possible when presenting/teaching information to students, link new information with students’ prior knowledge, try to use cooperative learning groups to do small discussions and talking activities that permit students to practice their new verbal skills, assign buddies and peer tutors to assist with the ELL/ESOL/LEP/ESL student(s), and allow ELL/ESOL/LEP/ESL students to use bilingual dictionaries or translators. It will also help establish a budget which is the third point.

In addition to these requirements, it is necessary to have personal information ready, passports, visas, and outfitting (other costs to setup and establish a school, vehicle, Et cetera).

Therefore, it might be easier to find an established school in a creative country than to try and set one up from scratch. Next week we will look at starting an English class in our own community.

In Christ,

Greg & Suzanne

72 Pithy and Profound

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God’s Blessings

Mt 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Have you ever wondered, “Why Lord are you blessing the wicked?” Psalms 94:3 says, “LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?” Even King David lifted up this Question.

But the profound idea that the rain and natural temporal things which God blesses both the just and the unjust is fair, justified or above what the unjust deserve is only swallow minded… I am saying that we are missing the deeper spiritual meaning of God’s blessings.

Think about God’s blessings to the just believer. The blessings are spiritual. They are eternal. We have a great inheritance which starts when we believed and never ends. The unjust non-believer may enjoy God’s blessings for a while but think of their expected end… eternal damnation.

Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked; For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out. (Proverbs 24:19-20 KJV)

So, when you think the unjust are being blessed remember that they may never receive the spiritual blessings of God both now and for eternity. There are many verses which say so, I have left some here for you to read.

Ps 9:17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, [and] all the nations that forget God.

Ps 10:4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek [after God]: God [is] not in all his thoughts.

Ps 11:6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: [this shall be] the portion of their cup.

Ps 37:20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD [shall be] as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.

Ps 37:28 For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

God does not forget His saints, “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9 KJV).

In Christ,

Greg

 

 

71 Pithy and Profound

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New Year

The New Year is here 2017. Happy New Year!!!

Some of us may want to forget 2016… But some may want to remember it…

I wonder how many can say I went through 2016 with Jesus as their focus? However, you may feel about 2016 one thing is for sure, it is the irreparable past. We must look to the irresistible future trusting in Jesus Christ our Saviour, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King.

“For you shall not go out with haste, Nor go by flight; For the LORD will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard.” (Isaiah 52:12 NKJV)

Let us put our trust in the LORD God Who will go before us and will be our rereward, (rear guard). God surrounds us with His Sovereignty and a hedge of protection when we trust and believe in Him.

May your 2017 be a closer walk with Jesus and remember He goes before you and He is your rear guard too.

In Christ,

Greg

70 Pithy and Profound

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Jehovah Shammah

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

Wait upon the LORD. Have you ever been in a spiritual slump? You may be seeking God and feel as if there is no answer or His presence just seems to be missing. Sometimes we wait upon the Lord and although we do not always recognize His presence, we know He is omnipresent and must be next to us. This brings me to another realization. When we sit next to our loved ones we may just sit quietly in their presence. There is a comfort of just being next to them. You do not even have to speak a word. The comfort that it brings is dreamlike, tranquil, and even calming. Sometimes we can break the feeling by saying something instead of just enjoying the moment of peace.

God tells us to wait upon Him and we will receive the benefits of renewal, strength, and we will not grow weary. Press in and spend some time with God every day and if one day you do not feel His presence then rest in the peace knowing that He is Jehovah Shammah, The ever-present God.

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27 KJV)

In Christ,

Greg

69  Pithy and Profound

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Living Sacrifice

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1 KJV)

A living sacrifice, are you a living sacrifice? God wants us to be a living sacrifice so we can put off the old man (the natural, sinful, carnal nature), and put on the new man (the spiritual, holy, godly nature). We cannot live in the flesh and expect to reap the spiritual blessings for that which is of the flesh reaps of the flesh and that which is of the spirit will reap of the spiritual, (1 Corinthians 2:13-16). We must then yield to God by sacrificing our natural tendencies. This means when the lusts of the flesh, your natural desires arise, we must bring them before the plumb line of God’s word to see if they line up or need to be cast out. “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth [exalts] itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV).

If we do not sacrifice our natural desires, they will rise up and occupy the space of the spiritual. Then they will pull you away from what God loves, desires, and hates. They will mock the spiritual desire and suppress the appetite of the new nature and before you realize it you will look like the world, enmity with God. “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4 KJV).

If we let our natural man take over and occupy our thought life, we become a friend of the world and an enemy of God. How then, can we offer up praise or worship a Holy God if we are an enemy with God?

Let us therefore be mindful of our thoughts, words, and deeds. “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1 KJV). We are commanded to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. Bring into captivity every thought into the obedience of Christ, put off the old man and put on the new so we can offer up spiritual sacrifices and the sacrifice of praise unto the most holy God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Be therefore a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God, because it is our reasonable service or holy act of worship.

In Christ,

Greg

68 Pithy and Profound

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 Divine Guidance

Proverbs 3:5-6 say, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (KJV).

“The LORD shall direct thy paths.” First, by His Word: not in some magical way so as to encourage laziness, nor like consulting a cookery-book full of recipes for all occasions, but by warning us of the by-ways of sin and folly and by making known the paths of righteousness and blessing. Second, by His Spirit: giving us strength to obey the precepts of God, causing us to wait patiently on the Lord for directions, enabling us to apply the rules of Holy Writ to the varied duties of our lives, bringing to our remembrance a word in due season. Third, by His providences: causing friends to fail us so that we are delivered from leaning upon the arm of flesh, thwarting our carnal plans so that we are preserved from shipwreck, shutting doors which it would not be good for us to enter, and opening doors before us which none can shut.” A.W. Pink

When concerning Divine guidance and the scriptures, A.W. Pink gives us the scripture, the Holy Spirit and God’s Providence as Divine guidance in the ability to follow God’s Holy Writ.

First, the Scripture is the truth “Thy word is truth” (John 17:17). This is our firm foundation in which we need to stand on; it is our plum line and standard of guidance.

Second, the Holy Spirit is the presence of God in all believers. Exodus 33:15 says, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here” (NKJV). This should be our desire as well, to go nowhere without God’s presence and influence on our life. After all I, cannot do anything without God (John 15:5).

Third, God Sovereign Providence, God works all things to my good. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” All things are both the good and the bad. We must then look at all of our situations as a learning and refining experience to become more like Christ.

God’s Divine guidance in relationship to His word gives us the understanding for the paths of righteousness we need to follow. We must look to His word to find out what God loves, desires, and hates. Then follow after what God loves and desires while avoiding those things God hates. Let us not lean unto our own understanding but trust in the Lord with all of our heart and then He shall direct our paths.

When we conform to God’s word and the characteristics of Jesus Christ in the Bible we are becoming obedient to God and becoming Christ-like. As we continue this progressive action to be molded into the likeness of Jesus we unknowingly walking in Divine guidance. It takes belief in the word of God as absolute truth, complete surrender to God, and an emptying of one’s self so the Holy Spirit can fill you and you become an instrument of God and not the world or self.

 

In Christ,

Greg

67 Pithy and Profound

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Christ is Counting on You

Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you. Philippians 4:21

You are a saint, if you believe with your heart that God raised up Jesus from the dead and confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord and Savior. God sets you aside for His good pleasure.

Sometimes we get in the way of God. We do not believe we are worthy, which may be true but, it is Jesus Christ our Savior and Sanctifier Who makes us worthy. When we get to feeling down and unworthy we must remember God the Father sees us with our Saviors righteousness bestowed upon us. “In the body of his [Jesus’] flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:” (Colossians 1:22 KJV). We are presented holy before God. Holy is the Greek word also used for saint. You are a saint. This may sound haughty to mankind, but to God you are saying, I believe You and Your word is true. On the other hand, if you say I am just a sinner; mankind will agree with you but to God, you are saying I do not believe you can save me or set me aside for Your good pleasure. Profound. We need to stand on His word and believe all things are possible with God, even saving a wretch like me.

God can and will fulfil His purpose through your life, yield to Him and believe who you are in Christ Jesus.

In Christ,

Greg

66 Pithy and Profound

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Your Vessel

2Corinthians 4:7 says, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us”.

Where do you stand or what do you imagine “earthen vessels” look like? Think about it….

How do you view your earthen vessel, your body?

Write out your answer before going on…

 

2 Tim 2:20-21 says, But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Is your vessel purged and cleanse? We are just an earthen vessel but Christ justifies us and has imputed His righteousness unto us. Are you a vessel of honor, sanctified and suitable for the Masters use?

Some may say my vessel is polished because Christ dwells in me, I am forgiven, and I am striving to be Christ like.

And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled. In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: (Colossians 1:21-22 KJV)

Jesus presents us holy and unblameable and unreproveable in God’s sight. I must therefore be a shining vessel.

This may be your outlook too. Even though our earthen vessels are week like clay pots in which the Potter molds and forms.

When John Stumbo the president of the C&MA asked the younger generation about this verse they all basically had the same answer. They were broken and mired. They did not like the polished façade of the older generation. Broken and in need of a Saviour is their view of “earthen vessels”.

Think about 1 Corinthians 1:20-27…

Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; (1 Corinthians 1:20-27 KJV)

It is the foolish view of mankind which saves the lost wise man of this world. Today it is the genuinely broken view of transparence which attracts the younger generation.

In Christ,

Greg

63 Pithy and Profound

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Pithy and Profound

 

When we define, and distinguish between revelation, inspiration, and illumination what can you add personally to these definitions and examples.

  1. Revelation- God’s disclosure of his own nature and his purpose for mankind;

Example, one day I saw a squirrel running around a tree, rolling around and just having fun. It brought pleasure into my heart and mind. I thought that squirrel was only doing what God created it to do and it brought pleasure to me. Revelation 4:11 says, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (KJV). My revelation was that when we do what God has created us to do, we bring Him pleasure.

Another revelation God gave me was when I was spending the day watching the Experiencing God videos. I had fallen asleep and woke up to rewind the video to the point where I had slipped off into sleep and in my mind heard “Go wipe the dust off of that table.” I thought to myself, Man I don’t want to get up. I am kicked back in this Lazy Boy. But if that is God speaking to me He will tell my why. So, I got up and dusted off the table. I sat back down and said, Okay God, tell me why I did that. Again, I heard in my head, “That is what I do with sins, I wipe them clean.” I thought to myself, that was God speaking to me and it lines up with His will and word.

  1. Inspiration- the supernatural influence given to man, 2 Timothy 3:16-17. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (KJV)

I believe that when I rely on God in writing papers, articles, sermons, discourses and the like He gives me the words to write and speak.

  1. Illumination- to make aware, to open our understanding, to shed light on. (Ephesians 1:17-18).

When I first came across Matthew 5:28, “But I say unto you, “That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (KJV). I thought that is much different than the world’s view of you can look just don’t touch. Keeping this verse in mind, I ran across other verses like Proverbs 6:32, “But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul” (KJV). We can destroy our own soul by lusting after a woman.

2 Corinthians 7:1 comes to mind now, “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (KJV).

The light keeps shining brighter as we seek to learn God’s word and become aware of His truths…

In Christ,

Greg

History: Historical Development of Partnerships Between Alliance Ministries

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History: Historical Development of Partnerships Between Alliance Ministries

The question proposed is, “Describe what a healthy progression in the development of relationships between a sending agency/mission and a national church might look like? After reading this week’s reading assignments I saw the four stages of relationship building by W. Harold Fuller compelling (Readings in Alliance History and Thought, compiled by Kenneth L. Draper. 2009, Ambrose University College, (101). These stages are: pioneer, parent, partner, and participant.

In the pioneer stage the agency/mission workers would have to find a national need which could open the door for a relationship and bridge the gap between linguistics, cultures, and possibly the animosity towards westerners and the Christian presence in their communities. The sending agency/mission would need to establish the plan, funds, workers, and prayer support team which would see this outreach to a lost people group to its conclusion. As a team each part of the team must pray for the Holy Spirit to open the doors and minds of the people so the Gospel can be shared, the lost people may be saved, and a full functioning national church would result in the Gospel message being heard and followed.

The pioneer stage must also go in with the founding principles of the Alliance’s DNA, the Fourfold Gospel message. They must be ready to teach Christ centered reasoning and not debate nonessential questions or theories. We need to stay focused on A.B. Simpson’s goal which was to keep the focus on Christ while ushering in the presence of God so that we can be a part of fulfilling Matthew 24:14 and the urgency to usher in the King, Jesus. With this in mind the agency/mission team can be ready to prepare the new church to have an attitude of missionary work through developing a healthy, praying, Christ-centered, and Biblically based purpose driven agenda.

Stage two is the Parent stage. Just as the natural parents teach their offspring and nurture and develop their moral values, the agency/mission team must nurture their spiritual offspring. This may require learning to read and write a new language, teach words which are biblically based but not ever heard in their own language. There may be cultural or traditions which include sacrificial or blood practices which oppose the Gospel message. The need for wisdom and God’s intervention in these situation is imperative. The prayer team must be made aware of them so they can intercede for the agency/mission team.

Stage three is Partner stage, only after the children are mature enough to enter adulthood or spiritual maturity can the agency/mission team drop the parent mentality and become a partner. The partner stage helps develop the church by coming alongside as a coach or elder brother to form, organize, and chose leaders. The partner stage helps develop the knowledge which was taught in the parent stage into a functioning church with its own finance committees, worship, evangelism, mission, discipleship teams, and makes their own decisions. I believe this stage may be the stage which can cause the most irritation between the new church and the agency/mission team as the parent role may be hard to let go.

The fourth stage is the Participant stage. This stage conveys a side by side effort by both the new National church and the agency/mission team to work together. The agency/mission team members may be asked to participant in decision making or just be asked for their experience and knowledge to aid the church in their decision making process. The agency/mission team must realize they might not even be heard or their input considered for now they are just participants. This is part of the evolving relationship but may be the place where the team members may see the fruit of their labor glorify God and feel the sense of God’s love and joy in their hearts. Most missionaries may never get to see the fruit of their labor. The ones who make it to this stage can fell the fulfillment of their labor and God’s will to bring the Gospel to all nations, teaching them to observe all that Jesus has taught them. This part of the relationship stage reflects on the fact that A.B. Simpson did not consider the missionary presence as permanent.

This journey is a relationship driven mission which must include the seeking of God’s will and purpose. There will be trials and tribulation through learning and growing together. The essential foundation will ultimately be the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the invitation of the Holy Spirit to open the hearts of the people, and God’s will be done. The agency/mission team must build on this foundation with committed people who will see the mission to its end. Brazil accomplished the three self’s of self-supporting, self- propagating, and self-governing by determination to take the “whole gospel to the whole world” (Smith-Lane article). The Brazilians trained international workers to win Brazil to Christ, planted churches, and sent out missionaries. Their success was instilled by the C&MA international workers who taught them to plant, send and train leaders. They even found a common denominator to reach out to other cultures, soccer.  In today’s western culture I believe this is the new challenge which can help make reaching lost people groups difficult. Let us therefore pray for laborers which will be committed to the end for the harvest is great and ripe. If we wait too long, the harvest will become rotten and spoil. It will end up in the fire instead of the Master’s chambers where it will be fit for good use.

In Christ,

Greg