 My good friend Ali and I had been connecting regularly to drink tea together and talk about life. Every topic was up for grabs and the very topics I’d been taught to avoid - politics and religion at the top of the list - were often the starting point of conversation for Ali and his friends. We had recently been having more in-depth conversations about the nature of Christianity and Islam and I was looking forward to meeting again. As I opened the door to Starbucks and stepped inside, Ali was there to greet me. We ordered our drinks - he always got a chai latte and I ordered my usual cup of black coffee - and we headed to a table in the corner. As we sat down Ali grinned and asked, “Shall we continue our discussion of Christianity and Islam?” I was in many ways still trying to figure Ali out. In one sense he had a real curiosity to learn about other religions, especially Christianity as he conversed with me. But it also seemed that he just liked to talk about stuff. He - and his friends when they joined us - reminded me of the Athenians in Acts 17 who “spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.” I wasn’t sure if he was really interested in my faith or just interested in talking about it. But I plugged away trusting that the Holy Spirit was working. Grinning back at him and unzipping my backpack I said, “Oh that would be great. In fact, I brought my Bible with me and wanted to share a few verses that are very important to me. They sort of explain why I believe what I believe. I’d love to hear what you think of them.” “That would be interesting,” he said as he sipped at his tea. “I guess I could tell you what I think.” “Good. The first verse is from the book of John in the New Testament. It says . . .” Ali interrupted me before I could even begin. “Wait a minute. What is the book of John? Jesus’ book is the Injeel.” I realized I’d need to explain some things. “Oh, yes. John is the fourth biography of Jesus and is part of the Injeel. We Christians call the Injeel the New Testament.” A look of concern came over Ali’s face. He began to speak cautiously. “Hmmm. I don’t want to offend you Aaron, but this only confirms what I’ve always been taught. We Muslims believe that Allah gave Isa - you call him Jesus - the Injeel. He gave him the Injeel because he had given the Tawrat to Moses but the Jews corrupted it. So then he gave the Zebur, I think you call it the Psalms, to David but it too was changed and corrupted. Then God gave the Injeel to Jesus and, I’m sorry to say this Aaron, but Christians corrupted it as well. What you have there, your Bible, is not really God’s book but is a corrupted form of the Injeel. Thankfully, God in his mercy saw fit to send the Holy Quran to the Prophet Mohammed - may peace be upon him - and it is incorruptible.” How would you answer Ali? Most Muslims believe that the Bible has been changed. It is one of the most common assumptions in the Muslim world and is an idea that has been passed on from father to son and through the teachings of local religious leaders. I’ve met few Muslims who can tell me any more than the fact that they believe it has been changed and corrupted. They believe that Jews and Christians changed the words of the Bible over time to change it’s true meaning. Like last week, I’ll offer some simple ways to respond but will encourage you to soak in the teaching of the articles, books and talks below to really gain a deeper understanding of how you can respond and help your Muslim friends begin to look at the Bible in a new light. A Few Thoughts This is an important concept that you will need to talk about with your Muslim friends. All other major objections will find their way back to the Bible and it’s reliability at some point in time. If the Bible has been reliably preserved and has not been changed, then the other objections that Muslims have to the Christian faith don’t have ground to stand on. The divine nature of Christ, the Crucifixion and the teaching of the atonement area all grounded firmly in the scriptures. Here are three ways we can respond to the idea that the Bible has been corrupted. They are taken from “Is the Injeel Corrupted" by Fouad Masri and I’ll give the bullet points here. They are explained in much more detail in the articles, books and talks below. The three ways to respond are: a) a theological response b) a logical response c) an historic response Theological Response Who is stronger? God or man? If God is stronger, then God is strong enough to protect his books. A Good Question: If God cannot protect his books, how is God all powerful? If God is strong enough to protect his books but chooses not to protect them, then how can we call God good? Logical Response If the Bible was changed, then our Muslims friends should be able to answer these questions:
Encourage your Muslims friends to find the answers to these questions. Ask them to read the Bible to find the places where it has been changed. Historical Response Please read the articles and books below to learn about all the historical evidence for the integrity of the Bible. There is so much historical evidence and nearly all historians agree that the Bible we have today is the same as the Bible that we had in the first century. These are three simple ways to help your Muslim friends wrestle with the the claim that the Bible has been changed. These responses will hopefully put a small pebble of doubt in the shoe of their minds and allow the Holy Spirit to begin the process of deconstructing the false teachings of Islam and open their hearts to Jesus. We'll end this article the same way ended last week. The first and last thing you should do as you discuss the reliability of the Bible with your Muslim friends is to pray and fast. Intellectual assent is rarely enough for a journey to faith. "No one comes to Jesus but that the Father who sent him draws them (John 6:44)." Salvation is always a work of the Holy Spirit. Remember, "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4)." We must pray that the blinders be removed! As a final word, "honor Christ the Lord in your hearts as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person (Colossians 4:5-6). Each person. Our Muslim friends are people. They are not arguments to be defeated. They are people to be loved and the Father is drawing them to himself. The following articles, videos and books are resources I've found helpful as I prepare to give a reason for trustworthiness of the Bible. Helpful Articles:
Helpful Books:
Helpful Videos and Interviews:
Andy's excellent talk starts at the 8 minute mark. Lots of information on the Quranic witness to the validity of the Bible.
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A sermon given at Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church on the strategies and disciple making process of Jesus in Luke 10:1-24.
 It was a blustery January afternoon when I stepped through the door of my friend Ahmed’s shop. I was stopping by to say hello, to grab a cup of tea and to continue a relationship I’d been working to build for the last few months. We’d gotten to know one another sipping tea over Champion’s League soccer match reruns on the large television and amidst the steady traffic of people coming in to pick up groceries, to wire money or to ask Ahmed for help with filling out an application. The store was also home to a group that met regularly to discuss politics, education, sports and the teachings of the Quran. I had joined them on a number of occasions. The group had met the evening before and after Ahmed and I had exchanged all the regular greetings and small talk, he began to talk about a difficult topic which was on his mind. “Our group was meeting last night and my friend Mustafa was asking about why Christians believe in three Gods so I thought I’d see if you could come by next time and sort of explain about your three gods.” It wasn’t a surprise to hear this from Ahmed and so I said, “Three gods? Ahmed, Christians don’t believe in three gods.” Ahmed looked both relieved and confused and said, “Oh? But I’ve heard about the trinity. Trinity means three. You believe in God. That God had a son and that he is somehow God. And you believe that Mary is God.” He paused but before I could break in he continued, “Honestly, it’s rather disgusting to us Muslims. The idea that God could somehow have partners is really dishonoring to His glory and greatness. God is Great. God is unique. God alone is God - He has no partners. What Christians believe is “shirk”, Islam’s cardinal sin because it diminishes God’s greatness by saying that someone else is equal to God. Muslims cannot accept this. In the Holy Quran in Sura 5:73 it says, “They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the third of three: when there is no Allah save the One Allah. If they desist not from so saying this, a painful doom will fall on those of them who disbelieve.” You are my good friend. Please reconsider your beliefs. I don’t want you to experience that doom.” How would you answer Ahmed? Growing up in a Christian community I was never challenged to explain the triune nature of God. Most of my friends - myself included - believed in the trinity but outside of a few analogies we could do little to really explain why it was important to the Christian faith. Your Muslim friends will not let you off the hook so easily. With today’s article I’d like to offer a few introductory thoughts about how to step into this particular conversation. These thoughts are not exhaustive and so I'll also share a number of helpful resources and talks by experts that will do a better job than I can do to actually explain the trinity to your Muslim friends. I want to encourage you to read and listen to all of these. For me it is a bit like watching a picture appear on a canvas as an artist adds layers of paint. With each article or video, a clearer picture will emerge and you will be better equipped to help your Muslim friends understand the central importance of the triune nature of God to the Christian faith. A Few Thoughts Rather than thinking you need to completely explain the Trinity to your Muslim friends, start with the more modest goal of helping them see that a triune God is logically possible. We may not be able to completely understand but that doesn't mean it is an unreasonable ideas. Shouldn’t the all powerful, infinite and glorious God of the universe be at least a little beyond human understanding? That doesn’t make his triune nature irrational or illogical. We also need to be careful with analogies. Saying that God is like an egg is problematic in all sorts of ways and we need to make it clear that we know that God cannot be explained by an analogy. All analogies will fall far short of ever explaining God and most are filled with real problems. Give a clear definition before you do anything else. Here is Nabeel Qureshi's definition: God is one in being and three in person. "Being" is what we are. I am a human being. "Person" is who we are. Ahmed or Tim or Juana or Anna. Make sure to read the scriptures with your Muslim friends whenever the opportunity arises. Why? First, they will meet Jesus in the scriptures because it is the living and active word of God. Second, they will have to wrestle with the validity of the Bible which can be proven and which we will explore in next week's post. If the Bible has not been changed (most Muslims contend it has), then it is clear that the Bible teaches that Jesus is God. Not only are there clear statements about the divinity made by Christ (Mark 14:62) and about Christ (John 1:1) in the Bible, there are also things that Jesus does which only God has the authority to do: forgiving sins, accepting worship, dictating scripture, etc. The first and last thing you should do as you discuss the triune nature of God with your Muslim friends is to pray and fast. Intellectual assent is rarely enough for a journey to faith. "No one comes to Jesus but that the Father who sent him draws them (John 6:44)." Salvation is always a work of the Holy Spirit. Remember, "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4)." We must pray that the blinders be removed! As a final word, "honor Christ the Lord in your hearts as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person (Colossians 4:5-6). Each person. Our Muslim friends are people. They are not arguments to be defeated. They are people to be loved and the Father is drawing them to himself. The following articles, videos and books are resources I've found helpful as I prepare to give a reason for the hope I have in the Triune God. Helpful Articles
Helpful Books
Helpful Videos  It’s been a while since I’ve put together a post for the 7 Series and so today I want to share seven articles that have been a part of shaping a great commission heart in me and in thousands around the world. I’d encourage you to take some time in the coming month to read each of these articles and then pray about one or two friends at your church to whom you can send the article with an encouragement for them to read it as well. Most of these are the bread and butter articles from the Perspectives course and so while many were written a generation ago, they continue to impact the church in powerful ways. I hope they will challenge and inspire you and remember, pass them on to others.
Be sure and stop back by and share your reaction to the articles you read in the comments below. We'd love to be able to learn from one another. And share this article you love with the friends you love.  It was a cold day in January of 1942. My then seventeen year old grandfather had cut class and walked down to the local draft office of his small Michigan town. With resolve and determination he walked in and requested to volunteer with the army. There was a war going on - the Pearl Harbor attack was still fresh in the minds of the country - and my grandfather wanted to do his part to end it. The gentleman behind the desk wisely sent my grandfather back to school with instructions to return after graduation in May. He did that and by early June had joined a mass of other young men at boot camp in Southern California. There he was trained as a soldier first and then as a radio operator, learning morse code and radio maintenance. He was part of the United States Army and the following fall would sail to Europe where he would be part of the liberation of France and the Buchenwald Concentration camp and of the ending of the war. My grandfather had taken his place in the story of World War 2. He had risked his life for a cause that was bigger than himself. He had joined millions of young men who felt that this war was worth any sacrifice. But it wasn’t just the young men who thought this war was worth any sacrifice. My grandmother was then sixteen, still in high school, still living at home. She and her family saw the need to sacrifice for the war effort as well. They spent their hard earned money to buy war bonds and they willingly accepted the rationing system on gasoline, coffee, sugar and other foods. She told of the day that her entire school skipped classes and drove throughout the county in large farm trucks to collect any scrap metal they could find. As they drove back into town after a hard days work, they came upon the owner of the bank. He was drenched in sweat, cutting his wrought iron fence down with a hack saw. There was a war going on and they were going to do their part to win it. Everyone had a part to play. Everyone had a sacrifice to make. Everyone had taken their place in the story. History looks back on that generation and remembers them as the greatest generation. They lived with a wartime mentality. They did not ask what they wanted or what made them happy. They simply asked what they could do to help win the war. I am forty six and my generation is often known as the “me” generation. For the most part my generation has focused on how we can be happy, on what brings us fulfillment, on how we can live the life that we want to live. World War 2 was a result of the brokenness of man and the tyranny of Satan. He is a thief who has come to lie, kill and destroy. Today there is a war going on that is cosmic in proportion and the consequences are eternal. Well over 5 billion people on earth, if asked, would say that they are not Christians. Their destination is an eternity separated from God in hell if something does not change. Over 2 billion in our world have never even had an opportunity to hear the gospel. Many of them are Muslims, trapped in a religious system that tells them that they have to earn their way to heaven. There is a war going on. It involves billions more souls than World War 2 and for all of them, eternity is at stake. There is a role for every follower of Christ in this story. Some will be soldiers on the front lines. Many more will stay home and do their part from there. But they will all be part of this greatest story. For Christians it is a question of legacies. Which legacy will we step into? Will we look at the redemptive story of scripture, at the Father’s heart and the brutal facts of lostness and decide that there is no sacrifice too great to be a part of that story? Will our legacy be like that of the greatest generation or of the me generation?  God loves Muslims. He really does. He came to earth as a baby, lived a perfect life and went to the cross because he loves Muslims and he desires both relationship with them and worship from them. It's what he desires for all of us. He loves them so much that he has begun to do an amazing work in the Muslim world. More Muslims have come to faith in Christ in the last fifteen years than in the previous 1,400 years combined! God is on the move in the Muslim world. And yet. Of the 1.8 billion Muslims in the world, the percentage who have come to faith is still extremely small. Even if the number were tens of millions, in order to reach 10% of the world’s Muslim population, there would need to be 180 million Muslims come to faith in Christ. There is still so much work to be done! And here is the challenge. The vast majority of Muslims in our world today live in places where there is little to no gospel witness. Turkey for example is a nation of over 80 million people and the number of Muslims who have come to faith in Christ is less than 10,000. Of the country’s 81 provinces, 18 of them have no established church. The vast majority of Muslims in Turkey will live and die without ever meeting a true follower of Jesus or having an opportunity to respond to the gospel. The story repeats itself across the Muslim world.
This list represents nearly half a billion people in just twelve of the largest Muslim people groups. These twelve people groups are just one quarter of the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims, most of whom live within the 10/40 window, the region of the earth between 10 and 40 degrees north of the equator in the eastern hemisphere. Are Muslims hard to reach? Are they resistant to the gospel? The reality is that we don’t know because the global church sends so few missionaries to the Muslim world - just one missionary for every 405,500 Muslims in 2015. The only thing we know for certain is that vast majority of Muslims across the globe have never had a chance to respond to the good news of Jesus Christ. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news." - Romans 10:11-15 What can you do this week to ensure that more Muslims have an opportunity to respond to the gospel and be connected to a true follower of Christ? Here are a few ideas:  As you begin to share the gospel regularly with friends, family and strangers, there are several predictable responses you will receive to your efforts. Three of these responses can be seen in scripture. Let’s look at Acts 17:32-34. They heard Paul talk about the dead being raised. Some of them made fun of this idea. But others said, “We want to hear you speak about this again.” So Paul left the meeting of the Areopagus. Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed in Jesus. While Paul has just finished sharing with a large group of intellectuals, politicians and philosophers in Athens, the response that the message receives will be much the same regardless of the audience. Some mocked. Some wanted to learn more. Some repented and believed. There is a fourth response that you might also run into - you’ll share with someone who already is a follower of Jesus. Outside of that, not much has changed in the 2,000 years since Paul shared in the Areopagus. The responses Paul got in Acts 17 are the same sorts of responses that we will get when we share the gospel today. If we get out into the harvest and share the gospel abundantly, some will reject the message, some will be curious to learn more and some will repent and believe - Jesus said that the harvest was plentiful after all. That the harvest is plentiful was and is a statement of fact. The Stoplight Tool A helpful way to think about these four response is to think about a stop light with its red, yellow and green lights. This is a tool that comes out of the No Place Left Coalition and is helpfully articulated by Troy Cooper in the video below. A red light is when the person you are trying to connect with simply says no. They may say it with a door closed in your face. They may yell at you. Most often they politely let you know that they aren’t interested in where the conversation is going. Of the hundreds of doors I have knocked on to offer prayer and look for opportunities to share the gospel, I have never been yelled at, never been beaten up and, as of yet, I’ve never been stabbed. Most red lights have been pretty gentle. They have been red, but they have been civil. A yellow light is when you begin to share with someone who is interested. Something you’ve said or done has struck a chord. They recognize some need they have but they just aren’t sure or they’re just not ready to jump into giving Jesus lordship over their lives. They often welcome prayer and are encouraged by scripture and if you ask, they’ll be more than willing to have you stop back by again. They haven’t said yes to Jesus, but they haven’t said no either. A green light is when God leads you to someone who He has prepared to hear the gospel. In John 6:44 Jesus tells his disciples that no one comes to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. This person has been drawn by God to Jesus and when you share the gospel with them, they say yes. The final person you’ll run into as you share the gospel is the follower of Jesus. They are already a Christian and are trusting in Jesus for their salvation. Our Response While it is helpful to understand the four main responses to a gospel presentation, what is more helpful is to know how we can respond to those responses. Red Light Response So the person you are talking with makes it known that they really aren’t interested in hearing about the good news of Jesus. They shut the conversation down. They close the door. Move on. Say a prayer of blessing as you leave, and move on. The God prepared person is out there and so we keep moving, keep proclaiming, keep offering prayers, keep searching for the person who God is calling to Jesus. If this is a person from your relational network - a family member, friend, neighbor or co-worker - then you begin to pray every day for them and you wait for the Holy Spirit to move. As much as you might want to “shake the dust from your shoes”, God has placed you in their lives for a reason and your only response can be patient, persevering love and prayer. Yellow Light Response Most of the people you interact with will most likely exhibit yellow light responses. They won’t say no. They have some interest - perhaps in the message, perhaps just in you. And so if you’ve ministered to someone in prayer and in sharing the gospel, ask if you can stop back by their house in a week to visit some more. You may ask them if they would be willing to get their friends and family together to discover what the Bible has to say about living a life of purpose, peace and joy. I rarely ask anyone to come to church. Most won’t. But many are open to studying the Bible in their own homes. Start a discovery Bible study using a series of stories that leads them from Creation to Christ or perhaps helps them discover Jesus in the scriptures. Most of our new far from God friends have not rejected Jesus. They’ve rejected an idea they have created in their minds about what a Christian is. Most of us would reject that idea too! By taking them to the stories of Jesus we allow them to discover Jesus for themselves. Discovery Bible Study allows you to do this and is a great way to respond to our yellow light friends. Green Light Response Sometimes we’ll begin sharing and discover that the person is immediately ready to put their faith in Jesus. It’s as if they’ve been waiting for someone to share with them! [Watch an Example] If you have the privilege and joy to be used by God to help someone step into a new life in Christ your job is to immediately begin to train them to be a disciple of Jesus. First train them how to share with their friends and family. Then set a regular time to begin to walk with them through a short term discipleship plan. If they are ready and you have freedom, baptize them immediately like we see in scripture. It is your job to help them become a disciple who has the tools to grow into maturity and to help others do the same. I’m A Christian When you find yourself sharing with someone who is a Christian, take them to Matthew 28:18-20 to cast vision for disciple making and then invite them into the harvest. First train them how to share with their friends and family. Then set a regular time to begin to walk with them through a short term discipleship plan so that they will be able to walk those they lead to faith through the same plan. These are the four responses we’ll see as we share the gospel and the four ways in which we can respond. Now get out into the harvest and put this tool into practice.  Growing up in a small, rural Texas town, Chris Clayman’s journey to West Africa and then to one of the worlds largest and most diverse cities may be surprising to some. But in light of God’s superplan, it makes perfect sense. Clayman is the Co-Founder and an Associate Director of Global Gates, a mission organization focused on reaching the ends of the earth through global gateway cities. Superplan: A Journey into God’s Story is Clayman’s telling of his unexpected journey into the superplan of God. It is a book filled with encouragement and challenges readers to step into risk taking obedience to Jesus. “Superplan” is a term a Bangladeshi brother in New York City coined in thinking about his own story and after hearing the of the circuitous journey on which God took Chris to bring him to Harlem where he regularly shares the love of Jesus with the very West African Muslims he had hoped to reach when he originally moved across the ocean. "God’s Superplan is the redemptive story of God, rooted in eternity, recorded in the Bible, and realized even today. God’s Superplan transcends our strengths and weaknesses, victories and sufferings, ideas and efforts. In dramatic ways, God is drawing people into knowledge and love of him from all peoples and areas of the world. This redemptive story is one God does not keep to himself. Instead, he beckons us to leave our mundane, small plans to join him in his Grand Narrative." - Chris Clayman Part memoir, part biography of former Muslims, part missiological treaties, Superplan is an excellent book. The book is also a lens into ministry among diaspora peoples in North America and is therefore both an instructive and helpful resource for anyone wanting to share the love of Jesus with immigrants and refugees. Superplan is a vivid example that modern missions is truly everywhere to everywhere. Buy Your Copy  As the new year approaches we all have opportunities for new beginnings. It’s a time of both reflection and of setting goals, and as we look ahead, we at E2E would like to offer 10 ways that you can invest more focus on the great commission in 2020. 1. Start The Year In The Word If you have not yet, we’d encourage you to find some time in the coming days to work through the Father’s Heart Bible study. It will help you to discover the desires of God for the nations. N.T. Wright reminds us that, "Mission is not something added on to 'biblical theology.'...The story of Scripture, focused in the Gospel events concerning Jesus, is about mission from start to finish." Here are a few other studies and resources that will help you immerse yourself in God’s word to begin the new year:
2. Start The Year In Prayer Prayer is the foundation of every move of God. When we pray, God begins to shape our hearts toward those things that we are praying for and so if you want your heart to grow in its commitment to the great commission, to the mission of God, then prayer is one way to do that. Here are a number of resources that will help you pray more for the nations and God’s mission:
3. Subscribe to a Podcast Listening to interviews, missiologists, on the ground practitioners and prayer warriors on podcasts is an easy way to fuel your missions focus. Subscribing to a podcast or two ensures a regular dose of great commission inspiration. 4. Eat Out with Friends One simple way to both enjoy time with friends or family and inspire a heart for the great commission is to eat out at ethnic restaurants. Not Taco Bell or Panda Express but a restaurant owned and operated by an immigrant family.
5. Watch a Movie Movies are a great way to spend time with friends and family and can also be a great tool for inspiring and motivating people towards a great commission focused lifestyle. Watch one of these movies at home or gather a group from your church for a movie night.
6. Read a Good Missions Book Books are a great way to dive into the story of God’s mission to redeem the lost to himself. They are great gifts as well and so make sure you are both reading and passing along books to others. Here are a few lists of books to get you started: 7. Buy a World Map Visual reminders of the world that God created and that we live in help us remember to pray for the unreached. Consider buying a world map to help keep you focused and inspired. Here are a few creative ideas: 8. Write an Encouraging Letter to a Missionary As someone who lived cross culturally, there is little that brings more encouragement than a hand written letter from a friend or supporter. Do you support a missionary? Get their mailing address and send them a letter in the mail. 9. Give a Beginning of the Year Gift rather than an End of the Year Gift Many end the year with a little extra end of the year financial gift to missionaries or mission agencies and that is amazing and super helpful for those raising full time support. But what would it look like if you started your year by giving an extra financial gift of blessing. It seems it might focus the trajectory of your heart and your year! And it would be a huge blessing to the missionaries you support. 10. Commit to serving Locally, Nationally and Globally Most mission trips - whether they be local, national or international trips - take a fair amount of planning and preparation. Commit now to taking a trip this year! Here are a few organizations and trips worth considering:
As with any endeavor - if we want to grow - we have to invest. We have to invest time, energy, effort, thought and often, finances and when we do we find ourselves becoming the thing we wish to become. It is no different with developing a life shaped by and living for the great commission. Take steps today to shape your life around the fulfillment of the great commission!  Merry Christmas!
We hope this Christmas season finds you reflecting on the year that has passed, anticipating the year to come and drawing near to the savior. Our prayer is that this week may be one spent meditating on the coming of Christ into our lost and broken world. May his mission be our mission, his vision, our vision and may we be shaped by his love. "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this." Isaiah 9:6-7 |
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