Sent
November 21, 2007
But how are people to call upon Him Whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of Whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? And how can men [be expected to] preach unless they are sent? – Romans 10:14-15b AMP
I was recently reading a section in Apostolic Foundations when the verses above simply jumped off the page. I believe the key to the whole passage is found in the last sentence that begins verse 15. The critical word here is sent. Now, this sort of passage is most typically used to support missions and other administration issues that revolve around the practical issues of sending men to preach the gospel. I certainly have no problem with this as there are financial and logistic tasks involved in the sending of men to preach the gospel, but I do not believe this is the heart of what God is trying to convey here.
The issue of sending and of being sent is critical if we are to recover the life that pulsated through the New Testament church. The word sent that is used here in verse 15 is the word “apostello” and it is from this word that we get the word apostle or “sent one.” If we are going to recover the reality and power of the first century church, we have to recover an accurate understanding of the word apostello and just what it means for men to be sent to preach the gospel. We desperately need to understand just who is doing the sending and how men are to be sent. To recover the reality and power of these words we need look no farther than the church at Antioch. Continue Reading Sent »
Spirit of Abortion
November 8, 2007
The pro-life campaign 40 days for life just ended. It was 40 days of seriously considering the abortion issue before God. Early in the 40 days I was outside a local abortion clinic just quietly considering the issue of abortion in prayer. As I was considering the issue of physical abortion, immediately the issue of the spirit of abortion and how it permeates our society and our lifestyle came to me. It was as if the Lord was saying that the most critical thing was to consider the spirit of abortion in my own heart that I could then have power on the issue of physical abortion. When we think of abortion we tend to think primarily of the brutal, physical act of abortion in the womb. However, this physical act is only the most brutal demonstration of a principle that is found throughout our culture.
At the root of the issue of abortion is the issue of pleasure and the free pursuit of it with no accompanying responsibility and no pain. This pursuit of pleasure becomes intense enough that we are willing to sacrifice even ourselves and others in our pursuit of it. I fear that this root runs much more deeply in us, believers included, than we know. Take a minute and just consider a few of the ways this spirit has quietly permeated our lifestyles. Continue Reading Spirit of Abortion »
Bella
November 8, 2007
The film Bella is now in limited theaters. I would encourage everyone to go see it. It chronicles an unusual love story between a man and a woman who is considering an abortion. The movie’s message is pro-life and revolves around unconditional love and saving the unborn child. Whether we like it our not, films have become the primary story telling medium in our day and that’s why it is important that a new generation of believers make films that move the heart and mind to goodness and greatness rather than just entertain. I have no idea if the film maker behind Bella is a believer or not, but from the early reviews it is truly a great film. If nothing else, I think we as believers need to vote with our dollars and support this type of film making so that we may see more films of this kind of caliber. Tells others about the film and see if it’s showing in your area at www.bellathemovie.com. I plan on seeing it this Friday.
Here’s the official trailer on youtube.
The Underground Church in America
November 4, 2007
An underground church is forming in America. It is not forming around the issue of physical persecution but rather around the issue of devotion to Jesus. It is a group of believers who are asking the question, “Is Jesus really worth everything?” If He is, it means that He must affect every area of our lives. Over on in earnest expectation, I caught the preview of this video that chronicles this movement in America. This underground church cannot be defined by any one ministry or under any one label, but this looks to be a great film chronicle of at least part of the movement.
More info on the video can be found at www.underthethreshold.com.