Whose Mission Is It?

Scripture Focus- Ephesians 3

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The work of the church is missions.

Missions involves . . .

1) Surrendered servants

2) Proclaiming the Gospel

3) In the Power of God

4) For the Glory of God.

Therefore missions is surrendered servants, proclaiming the Gospel, in the power of God, for the glory of God to the ends of the earth.

The church is at a crossroads and in need of spiritual awakening to return to the primary mission God has given us.

Lottie Moon Week of Prayer

This week is the Week of Prayer for international missions in the Southern Baptist Convention. The week of prayer encourages churches to pray daily for the international missions work and missionaries the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering supports. Also featured during this week is a Southern Baptist church that is taking the Great Commission seriously as members go plant churches among an unreached people group.

This year Southern Baptists will pray for missionaries in pockets of lostness, heavy concentrations of lostness where physical, cultural, political and language barriers challenge a Christian witness.

The goal is $175 Million. The need is urgent. Pray about how God would have you give sacrificially to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

Give Thanks In Everything

1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

God is gracious and we have much to be thankful for. I am thankful for my relationship with God, my family, the Cross Lanes Baptist Church family, and so much more.

Take time today in the midst of family, friends, food, and football to offer up sincere thanksgiving to God who is the source of every blessing.

Thank you God for who You are. You are worthy of all of the thanksgiving praises we can offer. Help us not to take for granted how blessed we are, and to give thanks in every circumstance, every day, for it is your will for us in Christ Jesus.

God is For Us

Scripture Focus- Romans 8:31-39

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The last section in Romans 8 is the pinnacle of the first half of the book. There is a series of questions here, that point us to the reasons we can know God is for us.

Reason #1 He died and was raised for us.

God did not hesitate to give us the greatest gift that could be given- His Son. So why would He hesitate in giving us any of the lesser things?

Reason #2 He intercedes for us.

Jesus is at the right hand of God, the position of Divine honor, exaltation, and glory. He is the eternal Judge and also our Advocate with the Father.

Reason #3 He keeps us.

No person, no circumstance, no event in life can separate you from the love of God in Christ. We are more than victorious, we are super conquerors.

Because God is for us-

We can trust His sovereignty.

We can rest in His love.

We can praise Him with thanksgiving and faithfulness.

Thanking God for Suffering

It is easy to thank God for the pleasant blessings of life. Everyone is thankful for material, health, and family blessings. We really find out the quality of our faith however when suffering, trials and tribulations come. On Wednesday evenings I have been teaching on the life of the great prophet Elijah. On Sundays, I have been preaching through Romans and I am finishing up chapter 8 on Sunday. These two studies have intersected in a powerful way for me.

Elijah witnessed the mighty power of God first hand. He enjoyed the supernatural provision of God. He followed divine guidance. He rejoiced in great victories. Yet he was also a man with a nature like ours. He suffered, he hurt, he questioned. Through it all God was faithful to him. Elijah did not merely endure the suffering, he ultimately triumphed because of it. God specifically used the circumstances in which He placed Elijah to grow and develop his faith.

In Romans 8 the Word of God indicates that we suffer with Jesus so we can also be glorified with Jesus. Paul wrote that the present sufferings of this age are not even worth comparing with the glory to come. Creation and believers groan for renewal. The Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf with groanings. Yet we hope for what we do not see.

God has secured His purpose for us, to be conformed into the image of His Son Jesus. It is a certainty for all who are in Christ. No matter what we face in this life- affliction, anguish, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword, death, life, angels, rulers, things present, things to come, powers, height, depth- we are super conquerors.

I am asking God to help me see His hand in all things- the good, the bad, the ugly and everything in between. I am praying that He will give me a spirit of thanksgiving so that in everything I will give thanks, for this is the will of God for me in Christ Jesus. All things work together for the good.

Abba Father, increase my faith. Help me to be completely dependent on You and trust You in all circumstances. May I be thankful in all circumstances, even suffering, for your glory.

All Things Work Together

Scripture Focus: Romans 8:28-30

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Our theology of suffering is important because it impacts how we view life and deal with it. There is a direct connection between suffering in this life and glory in the life to come.

This is one of the most loved and treasured passages in all the Bible.

1) God uses all things to work together for the good.

2) God uses all things to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

3) God has a specific plan for working together all things for the good.

All things work together:

- To draw us near to God.

- To deepen our faith.

- To refine us.

- To make us thankful.

- To remind us we are not in control- God is.

Moral Chaos

In the October 31st edition of Newsweek Magazine, Jacob Weisberg wrote an article entitled, Gay Marriage & Marijuana- You can't stop either. Why that's good. In it he writes that the failed attempt at prohibition in this country in the 1920s is now "a byword for futile attempts to legislate morality and remake human nature."

He writes that conservative laws are failing to keep pace with a liberalizing society. "These restrictions have become indefensible as well as impractical, and as a result are fading fast. Within ten years, it seems a reasonable guess that Americans will travel to Cuba, that all states will recognize gay unions, and that few will retain criminal penalties for marijuana use by individuals. These reforms are inevitable- not because politics has changed, but because society has."

Weisberg goes on to say, "popular demand for an individual right is simply too powerful to overcome."

What Weisberg describes and defends is moral chaos. His viewpoint clearly and accurately reflects that of a culture that is in large part rejecting moral absolutes and embracing moral relativism. The idea is, if it feels good to me, then I can do it to excess, regardless of the consequences in my own life or the lives of others. I wonder what Mr. Weisberg would say if someone did something heinous to one of his family members or someone he cared about? Would he think that was wrong and the person should suffer the consequences under a moral law code? I don't know, perhaps he would argue it would be a different circumstance, and that he is defending personal freedoms. What is the difference? What is our basis for right and wrong? There is such a thing as right and wrong the laws based on this protect us from harm and direct us to good.

When a culture loses its moorings, it is set adrift in an ocean of moral chaos. The greatest cultures that have existed in history all collapsed from within. Without a change of direction, the United States is headed in the same direction. When everyone does what is right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25), a moral collapse is not far away.

By the way, the moral collapse is accelerated when the people of God who know better, sit back and say nothing and do nothing, as casual observers. We must be faithful and loving in proclaiming that there is a God who is righteous and just in all His ways and to whom every person will someday be accountable. The hope for all people is in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Thank God For Your Freedom

Today we recognize Veterans Day and honor those who have served this nation. Veterans Day began as Armistice Day. An armistice is a temporary suspension of hostilities by agreement of the warring parties. World War I ended June 28, 1919 with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Actual fighting ended between the Allies and Germany seven months earlier on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Armistice Day was recognized as a national holiday in 1938. In 1954 it became Veterans Day to honor all veterans, those who have served in war and in peace acknowledging their contributions and sacrificial duty.

As Christians, we must not get our patriotism confused with our loyalty to God. Our allegiance to God is first and foremost. We must acknowledge that God is the source of the earthly freedom that we enjoy as well. It has come at a great price of men and women willing to give of themselves to protect and defend this great land. We are the beneficiaries of the freedom.

We have been blessed with great freedom and many resources and with that comes great responsibility and opportunity. We are responsible to use what God has blessed us with for His glory, and the advancement of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. We are to make the most of the opportunity that freedom affords.

So today, be thankful to God for freedom. Take time out to thank the veterans and let them know they are appreciated. Pray for the men and women currently serving on active duty.

Book Review- Spiritual Warfare: The Battle for God's Glory, by Jerry Rankin

Broadman & Holman Publishing Group, Nashville 2009

Let me communicate at the outset that I have a personal bias. I have a profound amount of respect and appreciation for Dr. Jerry Rankin. While others talk about the importance of missions, Dr. Rankin and his family have lived it. They spent 23 years in Indonesia for the sake of the Gospel. He has provided excellent leadership to the International Mission Board for the past 17 years as a catalyst for missions and will be retiring next year. Southern Baptists need to pray earnestly that God will raise up someone of the caliber of Jerry Rankin in one of the most crucial roles of leadership in our denomination.

I have enjoyed several studies that Dr. Rankin has written through the years, on taking the Gospel to the nations, and living as an on mission Christian wherever God has placed you.

The current book on spiritual warfare is a must read. I have purchased numerous copies and given them away. We have used the book in a Monday morning pastors' prayer gathering in our association. The content of the book is based on material that Dr. Rankin has taught in missionary orientation and training.

The book opens by laying the foundation of the reality of spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6). The author writes; "Spiritual warfare is not so much about demon possession, territorial spirits, or generational bondage as it is overcoming Satan's lies and deceits in our own life." pg.8

Many who have written on spiritual warfare have focused more on the warfare than on the glory of God. Dr. Rankin shifts the focus. On pg. 14 he states, "Satan's primary objective is to rob God of His glory in our lives." The reader is reminded that we have an enemy who is a deceiver, liar, adversary, tempter, and hinderer.

Not only is Satan doing all he can to defeat us but we also battle with the world and with the flesh. Pg. 20 "The devil is against us, the world is around us, and the flesh is within us, collaborating to defeat us in our Christian walk." When we have a proper focus on what the battle is all about, we can rely on the power of God for the victory.

There are several key themes that resonate in this book:

1) The reality of the spiritual battle.

With numerous scriptural references, as well as many personal experiences on the mission field, Dr. Rankin reminds the reader of the reality of the battle.

2) The inerrancy and authority of the Word of God.

It is in the Word of God that we learn of this battle. It is in the Word of God that we find our victory as it points us to God and His glory, and the finished work of Jesus. Dr. Rankin makes a powerful statement on pg. 48, that clearly states his position on the inerrancy and authority of God's Word.

" I have been somewhat intrigued over the years that the principle of biblical inerrancy has been controversial within the Southern Baptist Convention. Maybe I have been naive or raised differently from others, but all my life I have understood that the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God. God is not limited and deficient in being able to give to us the Word as He wants us to have it. Not only did He inspire those who wrote the original manuscripts, but He is capable of preserving the message intended for all generations. I have never been able to understand how anyone would see an errant, flawed Bible as reliable. I have always believed that the authority and reliability of the Bible are based on the nature of God who inspired it. Certainly there are things I can't explain and don't understand, but that's my problem. It's not a problem with God or His Word."

That is a bulletproof statement on biblical inerrancy and the authority of God's Word. I could not agree more. There is solid biblical exposition in this book that challenges the reader to think, and search his own heart and apply the Word of God.

3) The victory has already been won in Jesus Christ.

Dr. Rankin makes it clear that we are not fighting for the victory, we are fighting to apply the victory to our lives against the evil forces that come against us. The death and resurrection of Jesus has secured the victory.

4) There is a radical call to deny self and follow God.

We are not called to comfort, we are called to surrender. Pg. 97 The most effective deterrent to the allure of the world is to have a heart that is desperate for God!

Christians are drawn away by the material things of the world and tempted to serve self rather than God.

There are practical helps throughout the book that encourage personal evaluation. There is also good practical application of the principles.

So, my recommendation is this. Buy the book and read it. Buy more of the books and give them away. Utilize the book as a study in your church.

The Spirit Helps in Our Weakness

Scripture Focus: Romans 8:26-27

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Praying is not always easy. God calls us to walk with Him and prayer is basically talking to God, listening to God, and communing with God. I want to pray deeply, effectively, and constantly. God works in our lives to make that a reality.

Three Aspects of the Intercession of the Spirit in our Lives:

1) The Spirit intercedes because of our weakness.

2) The Spirit intercedes with unspoken groanings.

3) The Spirit intercedes according to the will of God.

Maybe you have been trying to handle life on your own, without really relying on God. And you are at a crossroads. You need to cry out to God to help you.

God, help us!

Power in Prayer and the Word

George Whitefield was a great English evangelist who lived in the 1700s. God used him significantly in the Great Awakening that spread through Great Britain. He was a man who was especially gifted in preaching the Word of God, and was confident in the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit in his life.

So what were the keys to the power and anointing that Whitefield experienced in his life and ministry? It is said that he recognized his own utter nothingness and helplessness. He realized he was nothing without God, and he could do nothing without God.

Whitefield was a man of unusual prayerfulness and he often read the Bible for extended periods of time on His knees. His devotion to God expressed his dependence on God and the fruit of his life and ministry is evidence of this.

He journeyed to America and preached extensively while here. While in America he preached 175 times in 75 days. Later in his ministry when his health deteriorated, he ONLY preached 1 time per day on weekdays and 3 times on Sunday.

The great evangelist only lived to the age of 56 but the power and anointing of God's Holy Spirit were clear in his life.

Testimonies of great men of God like this cause me to think, what would God do through us if we were to submit to Him like this?

Almighty God, Master, Lord, and King, give us a passion for you and a hunger for your Word. Fill our hearts and our minds with the truth of Christ. Empower us by your Spirit to do your work. Help us to embrace our nothingness and helplessness so we can by faith rely on your power. Help us to say, I surrender all Lord, and mean it.

From Suffering to Glory

Scripture Focus- Romans 8:18-25

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God calls us to a life of victory. There is an unbroken strand of redemption from- Justification (penalty), Sanctification (power), Glorification (presence).

When you live life in the Spirit:

- There is no condemnation- All sins, past, present, and future have been forgiven, a message of grace.

- There is power to live a holy life- your thinking is set on the Spirit, the Spirit of God lives in you.

- There is joy in the family of God- Adoption (placed into the family of God), Intimacy ( Abba, Father), and Inheritance (heirs of God, co-heirs with Christ).

v17 If children, also heirs- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ- seeing that we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

What does it mean that we must suffer with Christ in order to be glorified with Him in this way?

1) All of creation is subject to suffering. vv19-23

What is the root of suffering? The Garden of Eden and the curse that followed was a judicial act of a Sovereign God.

v20 creation was subjected to futility, v21 bondage of corruption, v22 groaning together with labor pains.

2) Future glory will outweigh present suffering. v18

Our sufferings pale in comparison to the glory to come.

The intensity of suffering is heavy, it hurts, we cry out in pain, but it is not worth comparing to the glory to come.

Paul's experience- 2 Corinthians 11:21-27

The Lord Jesus is the ultimate example of suffering- Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper at the Passover meal with His disciples. That night, after He led them in the Lord's Supper, we find Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was the night before His crucifixion, He was there by the will of God. He was weeping and brokenhearted, sweating as it were, drops of blood, submitting Himself to the will of the Father.

Isaiah 53

Suffering is earthly, glory is heavenly. Suffering is short, glory is forever. Suffering is limited, glory in infinite. Suffering is physical, glory is spiritual.

3. We are to wait patiently in suffering with confident hope. vv23-25

We persevere in suffering with confident hope knowing that God will complete in us the good work that He has started.

Creation eagerly waits with anticipation- Phillips Translation- the whole of creation is on tiptoe to see the wonderful sight of the sons of God coming into their own.

We have the Spirit as the firstfruits.

We eagerly await the redemption of our bodies.

We hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.

Sometimes there appears to be no hope. God says there is hope. Sometimes there appears to be no way out. God says there is a way out. Sometimes there appears to be no joy. God says there is joy. If there is not cross, there is no crown. If there is no suffering, there is no inheritance.

Heaven won't be glorious in spite of our suffering, it will be glorious because of our suffering. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Your reward will be eternal joy in the glory of God.

How do we live in suffering while moving toward glory? Embrace the reality of suffering. Get passionate about the glory of God. Cultivate an eternal perspective.