Faithful Witness

I have just read John’s prophecies to the 7 churches which were in various cities in Turkey during the first century. These were city wide churches and probably included more than 1 congregation. The prophecy to each church was clearly connected to the city where the church was located which means that these churches were incarnated into the larger world around them rather than being extracted from the culture. These prophecies were to be given to the angels of these churches. Angels in this case probably means messenger sent by the churches to see John. So, a delegation arrives on Patmos where John is exiled, and in response to what they say, John hears from God what he is to give to the messengers who then relay that to the churches they represent. The first thing Jesus reveals to John is a powerful visual image of his reign as Lord and King of these churches. John is summoned into the presence of the King and hears his decrees about each church. It is clear why Jesus remin...

One night, several years ago, when we lived in Belleville, I woke up at 3 am. I was wide awake, so I got out of bed so I wouldn’t disturb Melanie. I went downstairs and read Leviticus. By the way, Leviticus is not the protagonist in To Kill a Mockingbird. It is the third book of the Pentateuch in the Bible; 3 am, reading Leviticus. Draw your own conclusions from that. It quickly became clear that God had an agenda. As I read the descriptions of law and sacrifice and atonement, the Holy Spirit revealed the fulfillment of all of this by Jesus. “Read this”, God said, “as if it has been fulfilled.”  But the Holy Spirit did not stop there. Jesus did this through the power of the Holy Spirit, and that same Spirit dwells in me, empowering me to receive the life of Christ within me. This means that Leviticus is fulfilled by me because Jesus is in me. This means I am righteous. But the Holy Spirit didn’t stop there. The Spirit reveals this about Jesus to people all over the world. ...

This post is from my friend, Frank Daugherity. I liked it so much I posted it here. It is serious ( you know me, Mr. Happy Go Lucky! ) and important. I hope it speaks to you. If you want to explore this further, see more of Franks writing about mission and missions at http://daugherity.com/frankly. Has it come to a contest between "missions" and “missionality” in our churches today? What has happened to "missions" (traditional cross-cultural evangelistic and church-planting ministry) since the "missional" emphasis has really began to gain traction? Is it dying out? I was a cross-cultural missionary for 21 years (8 in Japan, 13 in greater NYC among Japanese expats), and contemporaneously a missions pastor in a large church in northern NJ for 8 years, so I know the older traditional picture pretty well. My oversight responsibilities included liaison with 66 missionary families. When I was asked to give my perspective on what's going on now...

This is part of a piece written by Tim Keller, a pastor in New York City whom I learn from. I have cut out part of his larger article, but all of it is really good. I'll send it to you if you want to read it.  The Need for a 'Missional' Church by TIM KELLER June 2001. In the West for nearly 1,000 years, the relationship of (Anglo-European) Christian churches to the broader culture was a relationship known as "Christendom." The institutions of society "Christianized" people, and stigmatized non-Christian belief and behavior. Though people were "Christianized" by the culture, they were not regenerated or converted with the Gospel. The church's job was then to challenge persons into a vital, living relation with Christ. The decline of Christendom has accelerated greatly since the end of WWII. The British missionary Lesslie Newbigin went to India around 1950. There he was involved with a church living 'in mission' in a very...

I never claimed to be normal; you just wrongly assumed that I was. It’s true. I obsess over things sometimes, usually about things involving world mission. Last year, for example, I put my entire life, marriage and the welfare of my children on hold and redrew a world map according to macro language and culture rather than the current and much to be commended micro approach to people groups. I created new nations like Afrabia, and Dravidia. Iran and Afghanistan became Persia. and Latin America became Hispana. It was a blast. My current obsession has been reading through Operation World and creating my Mission Top 10 . These are nations which need   apostolic missionary work the most and are the most open to receive it, sort of balancing need and opportunity. My list is subjective of course; yours may look different.Some countries with huge needs and real opportunity did not make the list. So, here is my Mission Top 10 . Japan is the largest unreached nation on earth. I...

This is Easter week, and multitudes of people will fill churches all over America in order to worship the dead and resurrected Christ. It appears that the Christian Church in America is alive and well. It has millions of members, and is well funded and well led. For example, there are hundreds of mega churches that have congregations that number over 2000. There are also tens of thousands of other more typical churches scattered all over the country and well known and faithful colleges and seminaries continue to graduate large numbers of highly qualified and sincere men and women every year to staff all of them.   Different kinds of churches are growing all over the country. Charismatic and Pentecostal churches continue to proliferate at a steady pace leading the way in church growth. There has also been an unexpected and significant revival of Reformed theology in many, many churches. The Christian movement is thriving. Things are good. There have always been co...

I have always known, although with incomplete interpretation and, therefore, inconsistent application, that I must take all of the time necessary to abide in that unique space that is consecrated to my experience of the presence of the Lord. This is not a daily devotion or an organized time of prayer and Bible reading. That supports and empowers the other, but I am referring to something more or beyond that. This space of abiding is mostly of God’s choosing. It is my part to recognize his invitation and meet him. It is a space not a place or a time. It is the space within and around me when I am surrounded by God. The invitation may come on a rainy Saturday morning in my car, sitting in a park. It may come while I walk down a busy city street or a crowded mall. It may come during a worship service. It may come in times of seclusion brought on by sickness or recovery. This holy space is about abiding in Christ; he is in me and I am in him. He speaks to me and convicts me of s...