“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20) One of Jesus’ final commands to His disciples, and to us as His followers, is to go into the world and make disciples.  It’s called the Great Commission which calls us to be missionaries to our world and our culture and spread the G ..read more

“In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.” (Isaiah 2:2) All nations is one of my favorite phrases in the Bible. God is an inclusive God.  When He established a foothold in our fallen world by starting a diminutive nation called Israel, He was already thinking big.  God’s plan was to reach out through Israel to call all nations to Himself. As never before, God’s purpose is being fulfilled.  Today nearly one-third or 31.2% of the world's population ..read more

“One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Mark 10:21) Jesus’ words here about selling everything raise a storm of static in our minds.  It’s hard to hear what He is saying. We wonder, “How can I live without a place to hang my hat, or a bed to sleep in, or shoes on my feet, or clothes on my back? Must I sell everything?” Frantically searching for some purpose to Jesus’ command, we might remember His call to Simon and Andrew, James and John, who were all fishermen, “Come, follow me ..read more

C. S. Lewis once said, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” As a Christian, this statement rings so true in my life.  The Bible says, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” (Psalm 119:105)  God’s word, the Bible, illuminates our lives, making them so much brighter.  We are able to see because of His word, and to know because of His word. That is just one of the many reasons why it is so important to deliver His word to persecuted Christians.  With all the tur ..read more

Why are there wars, famines, ethnic cleansing, disease, missiles, computers, and automobiles? Why are some people rich and others poor?  Why are Christians in China, the Sudan, the Philippines and elsewhere being tortured for their faith?  Why doesn't God simply put an end to this mess right now and rapture us out of here? Is there an underlying purpose to what happens in our world? The Scriptures answer that last question in the affirmative.  We are taught that, from the beginning, God's purpose has been to, "…bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head ..read more

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) While there are many ways in which God leads and guides His people into world missions, there have been two classic answers that people tend to give, “You don’t need a call because He has already called you” and “You better know God has called you before you go.”  I believe a combination of both is necessary. In one sense, every Christian is a missionary.  Every believer is to share Christ with others. &n ..read more

I'd like to start with the words of Jesus, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."(Acts 1:8) The key question introduced by Acts 1:8 is this, By what criteria should any person, anywhere, be denied the right to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ? The Bible points out that Jesus intends for a church to witness concerning Him in its local area, in the state, in the country, and in the entire world at the same time.  It seems impossible, but through your giving ..read more

Christian missions is following Christ’s call: sharing the gospel with a lost world through God’s wisdom and strength. After Christ’s death and resurrection, the Lord commanded the disciples to share the gospel, the message of His redemption, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”(Matthew 28:19–20) This Great Commission applies to Christians today.  Rather than weighing us down ..read more

After the resurrection, Jesus met with His disciples and gave them their first instructions, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." (John 20:21)  Later, Jesus reappeared to His disciples and gave them more detailed instructions concerning their mission when He said, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." (Mark 16:15) Did He just use "all" twice in one sentence?  I can understand allwhen it's something I can see or touch, like "you spent it all?"  But this one is a bit more difficult to wrap my mind around. When Jesus talks about all the wor ..read more

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) God has a timetable when He deals with humanity.  Solomon tells us that there is, "… a time to be born..." (Ecclesiastes 3:2) That's true not only for all of God's creation, but also for the work He wants to do in each generation. After an especially powerful message preached by Dr. William Gunter at the church we were attending, I made a commitment of my life to go where God wanted me to go and do whatever God wanted ..read more