Reflecting on the Promises of God: Living Missionally

Overview: It is my conviction and my privilege through redeeming grace and the power of the Holy Spirit to see the Gospel of Christ proclaimed to the ends of the earth...

Isaiah 55: 10-11
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my Word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it”

Matthew 24:14
“And this Gospel of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to ALL Nations and then the end will come!”

As I was reflecting on these passages… this question came to mind:

In what case is a limitation placed on a man or a group of people?

And the answer that I came to was this… Limitations are placed on a particular group of people when another man or group of people has been threatened! Which, led me to this conclusion… The Gospel is threatening; life altering; life defining; life giving. The Gospel threatens my life - the way in which I live it, my sense of control over that life, and even a government’s control on a life… Thus, when we allow it [the Gospel] to become central, it gives life and changes lives.  So then, it makes sense that Christians would, & even should, experience suffering.  The enemy isn’t going to dive head first into war with something that isn’t threatening to him…  He is warring against the people of God with everything he has because he is desperate to overcome - even just one. And the only time the enemy ever wins is when we stumble into his deception.  We are INCLINED to this end.  In our rebellion, we are appalled at the suggestion to relinquish control, sacrifice comfort, sacrifice our own "rights" to our life and the way it is spent. As I reflect on where I have just been privileged to spend two months of my summer proclaiming the Gospel… I recognize that government control is real, extreme is some cases, and something to be very aware of and wise about dealing with… but it is absolutely inexcusable to allow fear of any government to prevent the Gospel from being proclaimed in these places.  Our God is absolutely qualified to protect His people who He wants to send to those places… because we are not going for the sake of our own lives… but for the sake of His glory! And He promises that His glory will be proclaimed throughout the whole world! God keeps his Promises. So what are we waiting for?  What else is there to fear than to waste a life IN fear neglecting to Worship the God whom we were created for?  The Greatest act of worship, in fact the only true act of worship we have to give, is to offer our lives for the sake of Christ… and we are only qualified to offer our lives for such a cause because He has given Himself to make a way for us to do that… Grace is the thing that empowers us in the Spirit to do the Lord’s work - and Grace alone. I do not want to stand at the end of my short time having wasted my life. I pray that God continues to move in my life in a way that provokes me to live Worship. This summer has been this most life giving experience that I have had so far. I honestly can't imagine spending my life doing anything other than the work the Lord has laid out for anyone who calls upon His name and is empowered by His Spirit… 

Romans 15: 17-21 "In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God.  For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience - by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God - so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum, I have fulfilled the ministry of the Gospel of Christ; and thus I make it my ambition to preach the Gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, "Those who have never been told of Him will see, and those who have never heard will understand"