A Good Definition of a World Vision Christian

David Bryant, in his book In the Gap, said,


"We want to accept personal responsibility for reaching some of earth's unreached, especially from among the billions at the widest end of the Gap who can only be reached through major new efforts by God's people. Among every people-group where there is no vital, evangelizing Christian community there should be, there must be one, there shall be one. Together we want to make this happen"

Prepare to Meet the One True God

Please allow Charles Spurgeon to introduce or reintroduce you to the God of the Bible. The God that most, today in the modern realm of Christianity, have forgotten or overlooked.

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:7-8, KJV)

And we now declare that the God of Holy Scripture is a God of inflexible justice, He is not the God Whom some of you adore. You adore a god who winks at great sins; you believe in a god who calls your crimes peccadillos and little faults. Some of you worship a god who does not punish sin but who is so weakly merciful, and mercilessly weak, that he passes by transgressions and iniquity and never enacts a punishment.

You believe in a god who, if man sins, does not demand punishment for his offense. You think that a few good works of your own will pacify him, that he is so weak a ruler that a few good words uttered before him in prayer will win sufficient merit to reverse the sentence, if indeed you think he ever passes a sentence at all. Your god is no God; he is as much a false god of the Greeks or of ancient Nineveh.

The God of Scripture is one who is inflexibly severe in justice and will by no means clear the guilty. “The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked” (Nahum 1:3, KJV). The God of Scripture is a Ruler who, when His subjects rebel, marks their crime and never forgives them until He has punished it, either upon them or upon their Substitute.

When Others Don't Understand Why?

Have you ever had others look at you like you have lost your mind when you tell them what you want to do for God? Then they offer any and every reason why you shouldn't do it. It's too hot, it's too cold, it's too far, it's too dangerous. There is plenty you can do right here where it is safe.

How do you answer them? Peter tells us that we should have an answer always ready.(1Pet 3:15)

I thank God for the witness of others that have been there and served God and loved not their lives unto death.(Rev 12:11)
Here is one of my favorite quotes from John Paton, missionary to the New Hiberdies, on this subject.


"Amongst many who sought to deter me, was one dear old Christian gentleman, whose crowning argument always was, "The cannibals! you will be eaten by cannibals!" At last I replied, "Mr. Dickson, you are advanced in years now, and your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grave, there to be eaten by worms, I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by cannibals or by worms; and in the Great Day my resurrection body will arise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer."

My Favorite Hymn and A Wonderful Truth

I love this hymn and the truth that as Christians we are guided by the Hand of God.

Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
(Isa 48:17)

The "Fear Not" of Distress

In Luke 8:40-56 we have the account of Jesus healing the woman with the issue of blood and the raising of Jairus' daughter. While the Lord was on his way to the house of Jairus, the woman had made her way through the crowd and touched the hem of his robe. When this happened, Jesus stopped. I can imagine what was going through Jairus' mind when this happened. He was probably thinking, "What are you doing? Why are you stopping? My only daughter is at home dying!! We don't have time for you to stop!" Jesus then asked those around Him, who it was that touched Him. The disciple thought that Jesus had lost his mind. With a crowd this size, He wants to know who touched Him.

Now we have the woman with the issue of blood that has been her constant companion for 12 years. She had spent everything she had, been to all the doctors, but to no avail. She heard about this man Jesus and thought if I could just see Him. If I could just touch the hem of his garment, I could be healed.

Jesus is still not moving until the guilty party comes forward. Jairus is waiting and wondering. The woman realizes she must come forward. She does and she give her testimony and while this is taking place they come and tell Jairus his daughter was dead. Jairus was the ruler of the synagogue. He was a man with position and power, but now he was facing a situation where neither his position nor his power could help him. He was helpless and hopeless apart from Jesus.

The Bible says that Jesus answered him, now it doesn't say that Jairus asked a question, but I'm sure the look on his face was question enough. It was a look of why did you stop? Don't you know my daughter might have lived if you hadn't stopped? Jesus answered this with "Fear not, believe only and she shall be made whole"

I'm sure Jairus was thinking, "How can he say that? They just told me my daughter was dead!"

There are several reasons Jesus could make that statement. Here are three.

1. The tender nature of His person.
He is the God of all comfort. There are only three recorded instances where Jesus raised some one from the dead. We have the widow's one only son, Martha and Mary's one only brother, and Jairus' one only daughter. Why do you think that is? I believe it is because we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. God knew that he would have to send His one only Son to give His life a ransom for all.

2. The timely nature of His proof
Have you ever read a passage of scripture many time and then all of a sudden you read it and you see something that you have never noticed before? In out text we have Jairus' daughter, who is twelve years old. We have the woman with the issue of blood for 12 years. God began the working for this exact moment in time 12 years before it happened. Why? Because Jairus was going to need to see the power of God at work. This woman testified to that power.
I love when people testify to the power of God. Sometimes when my faith gets weak a good testimony from a dear saint of God is just what I need to help me.

3. The transcending nature of His promise.
He fulfilled his promise with the woman and with Jairus' daughter. The writer of Hebrews tell us in chapter 12 that Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. The Bible tells us His mercies are from everlasting to everlasting.

No matter what situations you face in life you can trust that God is in control. We can rest assured with the words of Jesus and Fear Not.

Changing Your Mind in 2009 for the Glory of God

Maybe we need to change our mindset on how we do things. Instead of going to the mall to get clothes, we should go to the mall to witness and give out tracts and we pick up some clothes while we are there. Instead of going to get groceries, we go to give the gospel and get some groceries while we are there. We should stop and think about the way we go through things on a daily basis, almost on auto-pilot, and ask ourselves, "How can I glorify God in what I am doing?"

Well I guess I'm headed to give out some tracts and pick up a few groceries.