Desiring God Pastors Conference Video

Wednesday morning (I had the day off, thanks bros) we were really blessed to be able to watch the live feed from Desiring God Pastor's Conference. We saw the message from Bob Blincoe a former missionary who is now the head of Frontiers. It was SO very encouraging and providential as we have been discussing a lot about missions lately, and friends of ours who are very involved with missions were coming over for lunch. Plus it was so refreshing to listen to someone who loves an extraordinary God in a very joyful faithful way. (By the power of the Holy Spirit of course:)!
Well, then later on we were outside in the beautiful warm (28 degree) weather and overheard some of the ladies talking....






If you want to take their advice you can check the audio or video or even read the transcripts here all free! Trust me this stuff is awesome for way more people than just pastors!

Bathtub Reader

Tonight the "bathtub reader" as I call it, also known as the series for boys that Angela has been reading to Abraham in the evenings called Ten Boys Who Didn't _________ (This book is GIVE IN) written by Irene Howat, got to Nate Saint.
I (J) had the privilege of reading. The tidbits that I occasionally catch are often either intriguing or inspiring. Well tonight was not an exception, but really caught me and has me thinking. So I thought I would share the original quote that Howat drew from.

"...This very afternoon thousands of soldiers are known by their serial numbers as men who are expendable. During the last war we saw big bombers on the assembly line, row after row, powerful, costly implements of war! Yet we all knew-we actually knew that many of those bombers would not accomplish even five missions over enemy territory. We also knew that young fellows, many of them volunteers, would ride in those airborne machine-gun turrets, and their life expectancy behind those guns was, with the trigger down, only four minutes. Tremendous expendability!
We know that there is only one answer when our country demands that we share in the price of freedom, yet when the Lord Jesus asks us to pay the price for world evangelization, we often answer without a word. We cannot go. We say it costs too much.
God Himself laid down the law when He built the universe. He knew when He made it what the price was going to be. And the lamb of God was slain in the counsels of God from before the foundation of the world. If God didn't hold back His only Son, but gave Him up to pay the price for our failure and sin, then how can we Christians hold back our lives, the lives He really owns?
...Missionaries constantly face expendability. And people who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives. They forget that when their lives are spent and the bubble has burst they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted.
Some might say, isn't it too great a price to pay? When missionaries consider themselves - their lives before God - they consider themselves expendable. And in our personal lives as Christians isn't the same thing true? Isn't the price small in the light of God's infinite love? Those who know the joy of leading a stranger to Christ and those who have gone to tribes who have never heard the gospel, gladly count themselves expendable. And they count it all joy.
'Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone,' the apostle Paul said. 'I die daily. 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.'
'And Jesus said, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time...and in the world to come eternal life.' " ~Nate Saint

Thanks to The Nelson Press for the full quote and pics

BACK TO JERUSALEM

As the book roll has dually noted I have been reading Back to Jerusalem for some time. Actually months. This is not a fault of the book being a long slow read (not that a slow read is necessarily a fault), but rather that it was interesting enough that I made time to read it during harvest.

It was given to us by a dear friend of ours and former pastor, T.A. Beachy.

Here is a quote from the back of the book which can also be found on their website.

Back to Jerusalem: Called to Complete the Great Commission - Three Chinese Church Leaders with Paul Hattaway

Napoleon once said: "When China is moved it will change the face of the globe." Today those words are becoming a reality through the powerful spiritual vision of the Chinese church to send missionaries across China's borders to complete the Great Commission, even in this generation. Here three Chinese Christians, who together have spent more than 40 years in prison for the Gospel, explain the history and present-day reality of the Back to Jerusalem movement.

"Who could ever have believed that after 50 years of Communism and terrible persecution, the church in China would have grown so mightily that China might become one of the foremost missionary-sending countries in the 21st century? This remarkable book shows this vision in our day" - Patrick Johnstone, author of Operation World

So, the Church in China. Why should I care, why should I read this book. For one it was recommended and given to me by T. A. and that was a good reason in itself. However, it took me a while to get to it. But, I think it was at the right time. There are parts of this book that will grip you, jump your heart rate if you care for missions at all, or even the great move of God to gather for himself a people.

The general concept of this book is how the church in China is uniting to complete the great commission from China to Jerusalem. What is left are some of the hardest places to reach physically, and spiritually. Many of the places, make that most of the places left don't want Christians there preaching the good news of Jesus Christ. The vision started before communism started in China and the church went underground, westerners were thrown out for the most part, and massive persecution started on Chinese Christians.

This book includes many dramatic stories from Christians in China and the persecution they have underwent, and how God has moved among them. It is about 135 pages long and is about half stories about a few of the leaders and how the movement started, and the other half is a mixture of strategy, answering questions about the movement, and a discussion about Biblical Christianity.

To give you just a taste:
Talking about the training their missionaries receive-

1. How to reach across cultural and other barriers.....
2. How to reach specific groups......
3. How to suffer and die for the Lord.....
4. How to witness for the Lord. We teach how to witness for the Lord under any circumstance, on trains or buses or even in the back or a police van on the way to execution.
5. How to escape. We know that sometimes the Lord sends us to prison to witness for him, but we also believe that the devil sometimes wants us imprisoned to stop the ministry God has called us to do. We teach the missionaries special skills such as how to free themselves from handcuffs with in 30 seconds and how to jump from second-story windows without injuring themselves.

This is not a 'normal' seminary or Bible college! Should you ever visit us, you may see people with their hands tied behind their backs leaping from second-story windows. We are serious about fulfilling our destiny in God. Nothing less is required if we are to break down the walls that keep Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists from knowing the sweet presence of Jesus.

Read the book. I highly recommend it. And thanks T. A. for giving it to us!!

Reply to Alan's comment and lots more

It sounds like the perfect plan to stifle economic success/grown/sustainability/anything other than economic exodus. The whole idea of lets tax the "rich" is a most demented idea. And give a tax rebate (entitlement/welfare handout) to those whom are not making money. It is soooo ridiculous! In the last several months I have known MANY people who would not take a job, or weren't looking for jobs even though they were laid off or fired because they had unemployment for like the next 39 years!
"Hey want a job, we are looking for someone that would be a good employee and we think you would fit the bill."
"Well, you know I wouldn't mind a job but really I don't think I will take it now, maybe in a few months when my unemployment runs out, right now I need to make the best use of my time and watch some tv or something while I bleed out the profits of everyone who does work. Call me in a few months."



I have an idea, why don't they stop taxing us so much (I don't consider myself rich, however, with a global perspective I suppose I am fairly wealthy just in that I can't remember the last meal I even thought about not being able to afford to eat) so we can afford to hire the guy who is unemployed, and have money left over to better fund things that CRWRC, or the Foods Recource Bank, or Compassion Evangelical Hospital, or other organizations that meet physical needs are working on, or just plain fund the Great Commission. Then we wouldn't be spending so much money beating terrorists into submission, and would be spending more money funding the advancement of the Gospel into the deep darkness where those terrorists are born and bred and loving people in the name of Jesus by telling them about who He really is. The death toll might rise, but maybe it wouldn't, and if it did, it would be a great non-risk for a GREAT God.
Sure a whole bunch of people that work for the government would have to get real jobs that add to society instead of drain on it, but I suppose that wouldn't be all bad. Then there would be more money for people to fund things like the Bread Basket project in our community that provides food locally for people in economic distress. And then we know who they are and can interact with them instead of some cold gov't program with no connection, no accountability, no anything other than some gov't handout.
We have a poster in our house that reads "JESUS SAVES from the American Dream". It isn't through taxation, but through Christ being a FAR GREATER treasure than money, success, love of the world, a big fancy house, new vehicles, status, 12 tvs (personally I think of saying 2 tvs but that would include a lot of people), good family, safety, access to all of the best amenities, a good neighborhood, financial security,........ none of those things are necessarily evil in themselves but do we treasure them more than Jesus...really? What in our lives would reflect that?
So, anyway, the one thing I do like for sure about McCain is his consistent (over the last many many years) work against pork barrel spending, like "The bridge to Nowhere" or lots of farm subsidy programs that allow lots of farmers like us to be careless and irresponsible with our resources, I could go on for a long time.
I can see how God could free us to give in our poverty like the 1st century Macedonian churches if Obama gets in as president. But the immoral chaos that could accompany it would not be good. However, I don't want to vote for McCain just because Obama is basically Doctor Death, I mean (and I don't really think he means it, it was a miscalculated statement I am sure) from his comment at Saddleback he wouldn't ever know when to entitle a child to human rights. Maybe they could get them when they are Adults?!? I mean really just quit feeding us a line of ______ and tell us what you really think and plan to do other than be the next president regardless of what you need to say to get there. With that said I reiterate I am sick of voting for what I perceive to be the somewhat lesser of two evils. At this point I can see why some Mennonites don't participate in government. It is just plain messy!
I could go on for pages in many different directions from this.
Ok, sorry for the rant, sort of, well not really. Ok, maybe...?

More Exciting than a Dead Monitor Lizard!!!

YES! ITS TRUE! Something is about to happen that really has me excited! More than seeing this lizard! DESIRING GOD IS HAVING A BOOK SALE!!! We are not just talking some trite little sale, this Wednesday and Thursday (June 27,28) they are selling all books for $5!!!!! That is stinking awesome! You have probably heard me make mention of John Piper before, and hopefully you have checked out some of the Don't Waste Your Life videos you can link to here on our blog. However, if you haven't, or even if you have this is an INCREDIBLE opportunity to get some books by John, or his wife Noel!

If you need a place to start let me Recommend the book Desiring God by John Piper. I started reading this book about the same time we went to visit my fish head eating friend Blake in Africa.



He goes to Bethlehem Baptist in Minneapolis (Piper is the Pastor for Preaching there) and had recommended that I read it. Wow!!!! Let me just say that God has greatly enlarged my view of Himself, and that has greatly increased my passion for Him, and joy too!! Over the last couple of years I keep going back to that book, because it is not just what Piper has to say there, but it is amazing how much the scriptures are opened up through reading his books. One of the kids I work with at youth has made her way through the book and has made the same comments. Suddenly, things that didn't make sense, make sense. And God's Glory EXPLODES onto the scene. For me that is the exciting thing about reading Piper, I just get so excited about living for Christ, and searching the scriptures.
Ok, anyway, another great book, Don't Waste Your Life. Angela and I are going through this with the College age class (along with the sermon) and striving together to struggle through what this looks like in our lives. Very convicting and encouraging at the same time.

Probably number 2 for me is Let the Nations Be Glad. Of all the missions books I have read this one has been absolutely SEMINOLE! You may have noticed that I have been reading it for some time now on our book list. It is because I keep going back and reading the same stuff over and over and over. This books sets out Christ and The Glorification of God for the joy of all peoples as the cornerstone and foundation of missions. My conclusion (and I still haven't finished) is that if more people in the church would read this, there would be a lot more life in the church. Because we would understand How AWESOME our God is and what life and joy there is in forsaking all for the sake of Christ and The Gospel. This book is so good, my heart started racing while reading the forward. It has happened several places in the book. When is the last time you read non-fiction writing about God the made your heart race?
Another great book (I have been trying not to read till I get through Let the Nations) is What Jesus Demands of the World The few chapters I have read have been heart wrenching, and thrilling!

I have heard great things about so many more of the books for sale Check them out!!! Here is the linkDesiring God books for $5

I am really excited about this deal! It should be a great opportunity to pick up a bunch more Piper books for our library and to give away as gifts!!!
If you aren't convinced this is so great, this was basically the look on my brother Aaron's face when he found out about the deal.




However, beware, if you start reading these books, your view of God, your view of yourself, and your passion for Christ will Lord willingly NEVER BE THE SAME!!!

Victory Even from Inside the Tomb

It will often look as though Christ is defeated. That's the way it looked on Good Friday. He let himself be libeled and harassed and scorned and shoved around and killed. But in it all he was in control. "No one takes [my life] from me" (John 10:18). So it will always be. If China was closed for forty years to the Western missionaries, it was not as though Jesus accidentally slipped and fell into the tomb. He stepped in. And when it was sealed over, he saved fifty million Chinese from inside-without Western missionaries. And when it was time, he pushed the stone away so we could see what he had done.
When it looks as though he is buried for good, Jesus is doing something awesome in the dark. "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how" (Mark 4:26-27). The world thinks Jesus is done for-out of the way. They think his Word is buried and his plans have failed.
But Jesus is at work in the dark places: "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (John 12:24). He lets himself be buried, and he comes out in power when and where he pleases. And his hands are full of fruit made in the dark. "God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it" (Acts 2:24). Jesus goes about his invincible missionary plan "by the power of an indestructible life" (Heb. 7:16).
For twenty centuries, the world has given it their best shot to hold him in. They can't bury him. They can't hold him in, they can't silence him or limit him. Jesus is alive and utterly free to go and come wherever he pleases. All authority in heaven is his. "All things were made though him and for him, and he is absolutely supreme over all other powers" (Col. 1:16-17). "He upholds the universe by the word of his power" (Heb. 1:3). And the preaching of his Word is the work of missions that cannot fail.

Let the Nations Be Glad!, John Piper

Christians and Prayer

"We must fight to cherish the kingdom above all "other things"- that is our first and most constant battle.... We are a "third soil century." In the parable of the soils, Jesus says that the seed is the Word. He sows his urgent Word of kingdom power. But instead of taking it up as our sword (or bearing fruit), we "are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful" (Mark 4:18-19)... The crying need of the hour is to put the churches on a wartime footing. Mission leaders are crying out, "Where is the church's concept of militancy, of a mighty army willing to suffer, moving ahead with exultant determination to take the world by storm? Where is the risk-taking, the launching out on God alone?"(-James Reapsome Evangelical Missions Quarterly) The answer is that it has been swallowed up in a peacetime mentality... We will never know what prayer is for until we know that life is war."

-Let The Nations Be Glad, John Piper