Global Day of Prayer for Sudan

At this historic juncture for the people of Sudan, the World Evangelical Alliance is asking Christians to observe a global day of prayer on December 5th, 2010.

The people of Sudan have experienced terrible loss of life and suffering in the last half century as a result of prolonged civil war and unrest.

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement ended that war but now peace is threatened again as Southerners prepare to vote in a decisive referendum on January 9th, 2011.

Whether the people decide to separate or remain united, the nation will be changed forever. (from the World Evangelical Alliance)

Last week a close friend returned from a two week mission trip to Sudan. Jared Chasteen shared with the Bible study group that Sudan, the largest country in Africa and one of the most poverty-stricken, is on the verge of devastating war.

Today Jared is asking ministry partners to pray for Sudan. "Generally, I have mixed feelings about 'Days of Prayer' - we should be praying for Sudan EVERY day," Jared said. "But I think they can be helpful reminders for us to pray with a special focus for important issues."

Jared also shared this MSNBC Video which featured actor George Clooney traveling to Sudan to raise awareness of the huge issues there.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

May the Lord work mightily in Sudan to call to Himself a people for His Name and glory!

Missions on the Mind

From reading Scripture, it is clear that the Lord is very passionate about the nations and wants to be known among them. He's been stirring my heart to missions once again. We had a Missions Emphasis week at FCC Nov 7th through the 14th. At the Bible Study at work, November is 'Let the Nations be Glad!' month (Psalm 67:4-5). This stirring continued last night as we attended an International Student Festival at Park University. I will hit the highlights of each in the order they occurred.

Pastor Tim kicked off the FCC Missions Emphasis week in the 11/3 midweek service. He shared some amazing stats about how the nations are coming right to our doorstep like no other time in history. Our church is located mere miles from a Hindu Temple and a Muslim Mosque (unthinkable 10 years ago). There are 66 countries represented in the NE part of KC and 22,000 Muslims live north of the river. America is wasting her prosperity over the last few decades and is no longer the leading sender of missionaries (Korea now has that honor). The challenge was given from John 4:35, where Jesus said, "Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest." We were also challenged to pray about how we can, as families and as a church, partner in the Gospel (Phil 1:5)

Conrad Mbewe, the Spurgeon of Zambia Africa, visited FCC Sunday and gave a wonderful sermon from Galatians 3:10-14. He powerfully proclaimed that the world is under the curse of the Almighty God because of sin, and there is a great need for the reversal of that curse. Praise the Lord, the remedy is Jesus Christ! Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree” (Gal 3:14)

The next day, I got to hear Conrad preach in an executive presentation room in the public corporation where I work! While speaking at a luncheon in KC, Conrad preached Christ from Ecclesiastes via video-conference to Sacramento, Boston, Toronto, and Montreal (over 100 employees heard a clear Gospel presentation)!

Rich Casebolt enjoys a conversation with Conrad after the luncheon.

On Wed, Nov 10th we heard fromMarty Zide in the mid-week service. Marty ministers at the Midwest Messianic Center in St Louis, to reach our Jewish neighbors there. He shared about evangelism, mostly concepts that are appropriate regardless of who you are sharing with: 1) Know the Gospel, 2) Listen, listen, listen! 3) Trust the power of the Gospel, 4) Use the Word of God, 5) Use Illustrations, and 6) Pray, pray, pray!

Rich Casebolt joined the Bible Study at my work on Nov 11th. It was a more intimate group than when Mbewe was there and more interactive. We talked about the Gospel and missions with a man who has faithfully served in Thailand for the last six years! Jason Dawson (UrbanReformation) a mutual friend of Rich and myself was also there. Without my knowledge he sneaked this creepy photo of me with his phone. Makes me laugh! His picture of Rich did not turn out well at all.



November 13th was the FCC Men's breakfast. It is a time I will never forget. We skyped in a call with Ken Heizer, our missionary to Italy. I enjoyed hearing his simple missions strategy of pouring his life into relationships with the Italians and living out the Gospel with his large family before these lost people.

That same morning, we also heard from a Wycliffe recruiter. Pat (I forget his last name) shared with us of the great need for completing the work of Bible translation. 2,000 languages are yet to have the Word of God translated (not even a verse) in their own language.



This picture puts things into perspective. I was surprised to learn about the number of roles/positions available through Wycliff (not just Biblical translator/scholar). Education and literacy advancement also goes hand in hand with Bible translation, for example.

The last speaker at the Men's Breakfast is a living legend: Frank Drown. As the men mulled into the auditorium and formed lines to get our food, I wondered who the older man was who was sitting down. Turns out it was 88-yr-old Frank Drown who only a couple of days earlier emerged from the hospital with a brand new pacemaker! I will never forget the challenge he gave to the men there. First of all he was very funny. He told of how it took him and his pregnant wife five days of walking in the mud to get to the village where they served as missionaries. "How many of you guys could do that? Bunch of wimps!" He was so engaging and had the undivided attention of all. Often his voice would falter as if he was about to cry. He was so joyful to be holding up a translation of the Bible in the native language of the Indian people in Equador that he had ministered to for thirty years! Later he shared that had recovered and buried the bodies of his friends, those who lost their lives at the hands of the Waodani people (Ecuador) in 1956 . You can read more about this experience here. Frank shared how he just completed a book about this and will be available soon.



Here is Frank's wife Marie, holding the Quichua Bible open to John 3. She shared with me an unexpected insight about John 3:14 (this Bible features a picture of the serpent on the pole) and the significance that the snake had in that culture. It was cursed and therefore this people group would appreciate how Jesus became a curse for sinners when he was lifted up on the tree.

I called Aimee after we were dismissed and was so overwhelmed I could hardly get out the words! The message is simple but powerful: What am I doing to make Christ known among the nations?

I will close with one more guest speaker at our BSG at work. Dr. Jeremy Farmer just happened to be passing through Kansas City during our mission month. So he agreed to come and share with us. Jeremy was a seminary professor at Northland International, teaching Biblical languages and Old Testament. But God has called him to move his family across the world to reach the Loatians in Cambodia! Get to know the Farmers on their website, SolidJoys. He shared a similar message to the one I heard from him at Countryside a year and half ago. He traced the theme of the Gospel from Creation to Christ. Wonderful testament to the unity of the Scriptures and a great way to avoid the familiarity of Jesus command in 'The Great Commission' in Matthew 28:18-20.


Application:

So how do I make sense of all this? Just a couple of thoughts.

• God has a big picture of redeeming this fallen world. The remedy for the curse, left by Adam in the garden is salvation in Jesus Christ. He is calling a people to Himself from every tribe and tongue (Revelation 5:9). What about me? What am I doing to fulfill the Great Commission? As a believer, we are called to either go or send.
• Second, not everyone is called to go overseas. We are to be faithful in the sphere of influence where God has placed us. But we need to keep God's grand design in mind. His Kingdom involves not just the nation of Israel, and not just Christians in America, but the Nations! The nations in many ways are coming to us. Am I being faithful in the opportunities that He has given me, with my time, my money, my prayer life?
  

My wife and I have the privileged of being 'friendship partners' with two Chinese students from Park. ISI is a great way to partner in the Gospel by showing love to international students!

We attended a ceremony Friday night that featured performances from Mexico, Mongolia, China, Thailand, and many others. It also featured a Flag Ceremony where representatives from over 60 nations paraded their country's flags. We need not look far to find people from across the globe that are right here in Kansas City. We need to pray about how to show love to them, and how we can get involved in their lives to gain a hearing for the Gospel.

"Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest." --John 4:35

Turnbulls on Conrad Mbewe's blog

Looking at this picture makes me smile! I see God's handiwork all over it. In Ken's humble demeanor, despite his incredible scientific knowledge (He has a PhD in organic chemistry). I saw him suffer greatly when he had a horrible nerve issue in his neck/shoulder, yet he never stopped giving praise to God, who eventually healed him months later. I love the fact that Ian is even in this picture, because God spared him miraculously from a near-death illness (great story by the way!). I just love this family. God's grace is put on display in the Turnbulls. (read more about them here)

So I was thrilled to see this picture on Conrad Mbewe's blog. Having had the privilege to meet Conrad Mbewe (the Spurgeon of Africa) and to spend some time with Dr Ken Turnbull as well (both visited our Bible Study Group at work), it was a treat to see how their ministries are coming together in Zambia. Both of these men are gifted to the extent that they could write their own paycheck if they were to pursue secular careers, but they have forsaken all, 'that they may know Christ and be found in Him' (Phil 3:8-9). God has in turn blessed their ministries! Please read this article and pray for African Christian University, and for these men and their families. Note: I especially enjoyed Mbewe's playful jab at Ken's writing style.

Gospel Translations

I'm real excited about this ministry!

Gospel Translations from Andrew Mahr on Vimeo.

Let the Nations Be Glad! sermons

I've been encouraged, exhorted--even at times entertained--by these missions messages entitled Let the Nations be Glad. John Piper, like no one else, stirs the believer's heart toward missions. In these messages, Piper asks some big questions like 'What is missions?', 'Why and how ought we do missions?', 'Is missions necessary?', etc. He asks big questions about hell and Calvinism and prayer and suffering. This is classic Piper: quotable, passionate, full of Scripture, Christ-exalting, and even humorous at times when Piper does his 'voices'.

Watch or listen. Put 'em on your computer and/or your device of choice!

• Message 1
• Message 2

May your 2010 be unforgettable and full of wonder as you come to a fuller understanding of the incredible worth of Jesus Christ! Happy New Year!
HT: Jason

A Call for Prayer for Jared and Sudan

I felt led to share this letter. Jared Chasteen has ties to my church (Countryside) as his parents and siblings go there. The Lord has increasingly used this young man in the last couple of years. He is passionate about sharing the Gospel and has been faithful with opportunities to teach evangeslism in the youth group and Singles Ministry at LBC. He also serves in the book store there, where he has played a major role in stocking the shelves with quality Christian books. Jared has written many articles to help people discern between the good books and the junk.

I'm excited to see what the Lord has in mind for Jared and his family in the years to come. Please prayerfully consider supporting him on this trip, in your prayers-or even financially-as the Lord leads. Be praying also for the nation of Sudan (read more here).

Dear Friends and Family,

I pray that you all are well. This has been an exciting year for me. It has been a joy to watch my baby girl (Emma) grow into a little toddler as she celebrated her first birthday in June. She is also going to be a big sister as April and I are expecting our second child in January, if you hadn't already heard. On top of that, God has provided several opportunities for me to get involved in different ministries in our church, the most exciting of which is why I am writing:

God has opened the door for me to go on a short-term mission trip to southern Sudan with Lenexa Baptist Church, November 10-21. While in Sudan we will be working alongside e3 Partners Ministry as we seek to equip believers to evangelize the lost to establish reproducing churches (check out their website at www.e3sudan.com – God is using them to do some incredible things in Sudan). This area is four years removed from a two decade long civil war, during which time an estimated four million people were left homeless, another two million killed and starvation and malnutrition became commonplace. The lack of investment during this time meant a whole generation lost access to basic health services, education, and jobs. The United Nations has just recently declared southern Sudan one of the most underdeveloped regions in the world. In terms of people groups, it is also considered to be the third most unreached country in the world. A Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed in 2005, but it is set to end in 2011, so there is a short window of opportunity to reach the people of southern Sudan with the Gospel. What an incredible opportunity!

Will you prayerfully consider being an integral part of what God is doing in southern Sudan? First and most importantly, we need your prayers. Pray that God would work in the lives and hearts of the Sudanese people. Also, pray that God would use our team to help plant Biblically based churches in the region. Second, your help is also needed to help cover part of my cost for this trip. The total cost is $3,750 per person. This is almost entirely travel costs as it is very difficult to get into this part of Sudan. Half of this amount is due September 1st and the rest is due October 1st, so time is short, but I know God will provide. In order for a trip like this to occur it requires a full church body effort not only of those who are willing to go, but of those who God enables to sacrificially give. Will you please pray about partnering together with me and through God’s grace in the Gospel make a lasting impact in an area that has long been neglected?

If God leads you to financially contribute, you have a couple of options. If you want to pay by check, please make your check payable to “e3 Partners Ministry” and return it to the following address:

e3 Partners Ministry c/o Finance

600 Development Dr., Ste. 120

Plano, TX 75074

In the note field of the check write my name as well as the five character code “SD09G.”

If you prefer, you can also give online:

https://www.e3partners.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=30189

In the Donation Information Section at the bottom of the screen, you need to choose “I’d like to give to a Team Member,” then type in my name and the five character code “SD09G.”

e3 Partners will then send you a tax receipt.

Thank you so much for praying about being part of our team. If you have any questions about what exactly we will be doing and where we will be going, I would love to tell you what I can. Please don’t hesitate to ask. Feel free to email me (jared.chasteen@att.net) or call me (913-390-6292). Again, thank you for partnering with me for the advancement of the Gospel in whatever way you God enables you (Philippians 1:2-6). I will be praying for you.

Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God alone!),

Jared Chasteen

1 Peter 4:11

Tears of the Saints

Take a minute and consider the lost.

Piper's new book - free PDF download

Now that I've told you how great the book is, you can download it for FREE!

Click here for the DesiringGod blog, which has a link to the free download. I challenge you to find a ministry who cares less about making money!

Filling up the Afflictions of Christ

God has powerfully used missionary stories to shape me spiritually, getting me 'stirred up' and seeing our planet with spiritual eyes that God has given me rather than my typical self-centered viewpoint which seeks my comfort and the praise of men, not God.

To me, there's no one better (other than missionaries themselves) to tell these stories than John Piper. I have written about the Adoniram Judson message, and the impact that it has had. Now Piper has written a book about Judson and two other godly missionaries, William Tyndale and John Paton. (oddly enough, Pastor Mike used illustrations from Paton's life in his sermon Sunday), prompting Aimee and I to listen to Piper's message about Paton. You gotta love a wife who says, "let's listen to John Piper talk about a missionary who proclaimed Christ to cannibals!")

For more on missionary stories, you can also check out Justin Taylor's interview with Piper (the reason I am writing this post in the first place) on his new book, Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ. Also check out his biographical sermons on godly men like Paton, Judson and William Tyndale.

So check out one or two of these resources and read or listen. Enjoy their stories and let them encourage you to take part (by going or sending) in the Great Commission to win more souls to the praise and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth.
Selah (Psalm 67:3-4)

Abiding, Not Striving or Struggling

The following is from Nelson's complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes.

Missionary pioneer J. Hudson Taylor of China was working and worrying so frantically that his health was about to break. Just when his friends feared he was near a breakdown, Taylor received a letter from fellow missionary John McCarthy that told of a discovery McCarthy had made from John 15—the joy of abiding in Christ. McCarthy’s letter said in part:

Abiding, not striving or struggling; looking off unto Him; trusting Him for present power … this is not new, and yet ’tis new to me.… Christ literally all seems to me now the power, the only power for service; the only ground for unchanging joy.

As Hudson Taylor read this letter at his mission station in Chin-kiang on Saturday, September 4, 1869, his own eyes were opened. “As I read,” he recalled, “I saw it all. I looked to Jesus, and when I saw, oh how the joy flowed!” Writing to his sister in England, he said:

As to work, mine was never so plentiful, so responsible, or so difficult; but the weight and strain are all gone. The last month or more has been perhaps the happiest of my life, and I long to tell you a little of what the Lord has done for my soul.… When the agony of soul was at its height, a sentence in a letter from dear McCarthy was used to remove the scales from my eyes, and the Spirit of God revealed the truth of our oneness with Jesus as I had never known it before. McCarthy, who had been much exercised by the same sense of failure, but saw the light before I did, wrote (I quote from memory): “But how to get faith strengthened? Not by striving after faith but by resting on the Faithful One.”

As I read, I saw it all!.… As I thought of the Vine and the branches, what light the blessed Spirit poured into my soul!

Pastor Warne Visits the BSG

My cup is overflowing! God is so good to me it makes my head buzz sometimes, oh wait ... that's all the sugar!

Anyway, what a blessing it was to have had Pastor Brian Warne visit the Bible Study Group at work last Thursday (8/7/08)! It was very cool that Countryside's church-planter and missionary to Mexico (Jahuara 2, Sinaloa) was there to show some videos and pictures, and give a challenge from God's Word.

Attendance was not through the roof (no more than 8 or 9) but the session was video-recorded via a video-conference. We sent the link to hundreds of BSG members in KC, Boston, California, and other sites around the country and beyond!

Pastor Warne briefly introduced his family, ministry history and gave an overview of the Mayo Indian religious make-up. Then he played a video that gives a good feel for the sights and sounds of Sinaloa. The video features images of the church, clips of Pastor Warne preaching, a baptismal service at the lake (featuring a fish fry!)

Then Pastor Warne gave a challenge/devotional from Acts 8:4-8. He proclaimed God's truth regarding our responsibility to preach the Gospel (both with our lips and our lives) and the results that we can expect.

The question and answer time was also a treat as we had great discussion. However, our "time-saving" idea to play a slide show with music DURING the Q&A did not translate well onto the video. While the music was beautiful, it completely drowned out the conversation in the room (though we could not tell at the time). So in the video you can see that Q&A is going on, and that people are periodically looking up at the slide show on the screen (and thus into the camera) ... but you can not hear a WORD that is being said!

Overall it was such a blessing and a personal highlight to be able to have Pastor Brian come out and address the BSG.

Please pray for the Warnes as this weekend they travel back "home" to Mexico to minister to their beloved mission field there. Here is their prayer card ...

I took off the contact info (to be on the safe side.) Also note: Dan (left) and Amy (right) are now both in college this year! Please pray for our empty-nesters, Brian and Danyel!!!

Roundup 2 Roundup

Last week, a friend shared a link to this site. It features a short clip. Do you have 30 seconds to watch?



It also featured a longer clip that tells the story of their ministry. Do you have 3 minutes to watch?



Please take some time and read about Roundup2Roundup and pray about how the Lord might use you to get involved in this local ministry, helping to feed those who desperately need it. Man's greatest need is the Gospel, as we have been seeing this month in this blog, but the Gospel should change our lives to the point that we seek to help those who can't help us back!

Read about R2R's upcoming fundraisers (including a car wash in Olathe on July 26th), and other simple ways you can get involved!

Faith without works is dead! (James 2:17)

Pray for a brother in Christ serving in Africa

A friend of mine is heading to Africa today on a 6-week missions trip. Please pray for this brother as he seeks to bring the light of the Gospel of Christ to this dark and needy part of the world.

He hopes to post updates to this blog, lightdestroysdarkness, during his six weeks for friends and family.

Reminder, if you know this young man and you visit the site, please do NOT compromise his safety by mentioning his name or the country he is visiting in any comments or emails.

Dharavi - Mumbai, Asia's Largest Slum

A friend of mine, and brother in Christ, recently visited Mumbai, India on a business trip. He returned with eyes wide open to the need for the Gospel in that part of the world. I am looking forward to seeing pictures and hearing more stories. (hint-hint!)

My friend spoke of the unbelievable poverty and--what is worse--the utter darkness to Christ. The chaotic break-neck pace of the cars and bikes and rickshaws in the big city of Mumbai stops for no one. Drivers would think nothing of hitting children, but traffic slams to a halt to avoid harming one of their "sacred" cows!

80% of the population are Hindus, 12 1/2% Muslims, and less than 2 1/2% are in "Christian" denominations.

My friend told me to google the Dharavi slum in the middle of Mumbai, India, where 1 million people are crammed into roughly one square mile of real estate! Here is a video from the BBC about the "architecture" of this place.



Is it me, or is the host a little too "geeked out" about the architectural innovation, while completely blind to the plight of these suffering Indians?

Please pray for this needy country. As Operation Word points out, "India has more (and larger) people groups with no Christians, churches or workers than any other part of the world."

The need is great. Pray for India!

I can't get John Piper's powerful message--given at the recent T4G conference--out of my mind!

Challies summarizes the message well:

Piper looked to six passages from the book of Hebrews. He said that we would need to ask and answer correctly, what is the great reward? What is the joy set before us? What is the city to come? He looked to Hebrews 10:32-35, 11:6, 11:24-26, 11:35, 12:2, 13:12-14.

... Every glory of the Savior, every facet of His majesty, is poured into the little word “him” in 13:13. “Let us go to him outside the camp.” Jesus is not standing back and saying, “Go back!” He is saying, “I am out here! You are in there where it is so safe. But I am out here. Come to me…” The sweetest fellowship with your Savior and your treasure that you will ever know is the fellowship of His sufferings. It doesn’t get sweeter. The supremacy of Christ is not just His perfect fitness to bear our sins and not just the supremely valuable reward He will be at the end, but it is also present, personal, precious treasure. “Come to me, I’m out here,” he says. He won’t ask us to go where He won’t be with us. We will know Him in depths and ways in radical Christian sacrifice where we would never have known Him any other place.

Listen to this message today. Perhaps Christ is calling you to "go to Him" in India, outside the camp!

Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
Psalm 96:3-5

For more reading:
National Geographic feature on Dharavi
Operation World page on India
Let the Nations Be Glad!

Closing with Christ by Jim Elliff

Check out this excellent article by Jim Elliff (Christian Communicators Worldwide) ...

Closing With Christ

By Jim Elliff

When modern evangelical churches seek to bring the unregenerate to Christ (and they should do so with passion), they often fall prey to a formula which produces disappointing results. The pattern runs something like this:

• Extending a public altar call
• Praying "the sinner's prayer"
• Giving immediate verbal assurance that one is in Christ on the basis of the sinner's sincerity and the accuracy of the wording of the prayer
• Immediate, or near immediate, public announcement that this person is now in Christ
• Public baptism as a symbol of death to sin and life in Christ

This pattern has been passed down and repeated because few are taking the necessary time to examine both its flight from Scriptural precedent and precept and its dismal effect. When asked to give more careful consideration to its content and outcome, however, we are finding that many, thankfully, are rejecting this inept structure in favor of a better, more biblical one. The above list will seem familiar to every soul-loving believer, but the very evangelistic passion we have for our neighbors and unconverted family members should drive us to lay our present methods up against the truth for a well-needed examination. Like the short-of-breath fifty-year-old who has never been to the doctor, it is time for a major check-up. What then is wrong with the above list?

First, there is no biblical precedent or command regarding a public altar call. Whatever might be said for its use, we cannot resort to the Bible for support. Jesus nor Paul, nor any other early Christian leader used it. Did Jesus ask his listeners to come to the front after He preached the Sermon on the Mount? Did Paul say, "Every head bowed, every eye closed" as Luke quietly sang the invitation hymn on the Areopagus? Did Peter have seekers raise their hands as a sign of their interest in Christ at the end of the Pentecostal sermon?

Quickly it must be said that I espouse a verbal call to Christ in a most serious way and believe that the spoken invitation to come to Christ is a part of all gospel preaching. We "compel them to come in." When Moody failed to offer a public altar call on the evening of the Chicago fire, he stated a new resolve: "I learned that night [a lesson] which I have never forgotten; and that is, when I preach, to press Christ upon the people then and there, and try to bring them to a decision on the spot. I would rather have that right hand cut off than to give an audience a week now to decide what to do with Jesus." I could not agree more with his underlying sentiment, but this does not argue for an altar call. Evangelistic preaching does say, "Repent and trust Christ now." But there is nothing sacrosanct about getting people to occupy a certain piece of geography at the front of a building. Nor have I kept them from Christ by not having them respond to a public altar call. Rather I am offering them Christ without anything in between. I want nothing between their soul and the reality of Christ's offer. To put something in between is a practical sacramentalism.

Charles Grandison Finney (1792-1875) popularized this method through his mourner's bench. There was a person here or there that used it in an occasional manner prior to him, but he put it on the map. Reacting to Finneyism's ineptness, theologian Dabney commented:

We have come to coolly accept the fact that forty-five out of fifty will eventually apostatize [fall away].

On the other side of Finney was the veteran evangelist Asahel Nettleton (d. 1844), whose converts stood. For instance, in Ashford, Connecticut there were eighty-two converts, and only three spurious ones. In Rocky Hill, Connecticut, there were eighty-six converts and they all were standing strong after twenty-six years, according to their pastor. Nettleton rigidly refused to offer public altar calls, believing that it prematurely reaped what would turn out to be false converts. C. H. Spurgeon, the Victorian "Prince of Preachers," thought similarly. The long-term history is consistent on this issue; you may and should examine it.

Attached to the altar call (and to personal evangelism) in this model is the use of "the sinner's prayer." What can be said about this? Is it found in the Bible? The sad truth is that it is not found anywhere but in the back of evangelistic booklets. Yes the Scripture says, "whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved," but this means to evoke or place confidence in the name of Christ. The sinner may express genuine faith through a prayer, but to pray such a prayer is not the essence of the required response to the gospel invitation.

The typical "sinner's prayer" as evangelicals have come to express it, has three elements: (1) a mere acknowledgment of sin, which is not the same as repentance, (2) a belief in the act of Christ's death, which is far removed from trust in his person and work, and, (3) an "inviting Christ into the life." The last phrase hangs on nothing biblical (though John 1: 12 and Rev. 3: 20 are used, out of context, for its basis). It is considered, nonetheless, to be the pivotal and necessary instrument for becoming a true Christian. But God commands us to repentingly believe, not to invite Christ into the life.

Following the above, immediate assurance is given to the one who prayed on the basis of the sincerity of the person and the accuracy of the prayer. But it is the Holy Spirit who gives assurance of life in Christ, not the evangelist (Rom. 8: 16). We are to relate the basis of assurance but leave the actual assuring to the Spirit. This is rarely practiced in modern evangelicalism. We prefer rather to take the place of the Spirit in assuring the pray-er and therefore seal many in deception. It is not the efficacy of a prayer that saves; Christ alone saves. The well-quoted passage on assurance, 1 Jn. 5:13 states: "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life." "These things…written" are the tests in the rest of the letter which give a basis to determine if we are truly converted.

In many cases the next step is to publicly introduce the one who has prayed the sinner's prayer and has just been told that he or she is a Christian. I have cringed to find that some leaders turn around after five minutes of "Just as I Am" and announce that the persons coming forward are converted. Sometimes the person has not been known to the pastor until that moment! Regardless, his optimism is often not founded, since extremely high numbers of these never show any competent sign of being converted. I am not intimating that people cannot be saved immediately, but that our early acceptance of the persons coming forward has often led us to "eat our words" about their new life in Christ.

Finally, there is the last stage of public baptism. It is interesting to note that in much of evangelicalism which is Baptistic, the number supposedly "being saved" and those being baptized is vastly different. If a hundred were purportedly converted during some sort of evangelistic effort, then we might not baptize but thirty of them. But out the thirty, as seen among Southern Baptists as an illustration, statistically only ten or eleven of those thirty (34 %) would show up on a given Sunday morning and only four or five (12%) on a Sunday evening (in churches that have services at that time). They do not really love the brethren or the atmosphere of godliness. All of these, however, have prayed the prayer, walked the aisle, been told they are Christians by someone in authority, and were publicly declared to be such.

Would it not be better for a system to be re-instated which comes closer to recognizing only the smaller number of true Christians? Is it love for the lost that will perpetuate practices producing such damning deception in so many—or is it merely love for success? Or should we assume that most leaders have simply gone on with "business as usual" without ever thinking it through at all? I prefer to believe the later is true in most cases. Whatever the motive, however, those deceived on our rolls are still damned.

The more biblical way of "closing with Christ" is to focus on the gospel itself, without props. Whereas the altar call method can be tacked on to just about anything, no matter how absent the gospel, the biblical method demands the hearing of the Word. "How will they believe without a preacher."(Rom. 10: 14). It is the "by the will of God that they are begotten, through the Word of truth" (Jam. 1:18, emphasis mine). They are "born again…through the living and abiding Word of God" (1 Pet. 1: 23, emphasis mine).

It is interesting to note that the Bible account focuses attention on the object of our faith, Jesus Christ, and his life and work, when presenting the gospel to those who do not believe. There is virtually no explanation of the nature of repentance and faith; merely its mention seems to be enough. Why is that so? It is because of this wonderful reality. When the Word is preached and the Spirit is at work, the sinner is brought to conviction of sin and he cannot love his sin any more. He must repent. And when the Word presents Christ as the only hope and the Spirit is at work in the sinner, he sees no refuge for his soul but Christ. He must believe. Where else could he possibly go?

What about those passages that deal with the nature of repentance and faith in detail? Those passages are there for the presumptuous. The Epistle of First John, James, and many other portions help the professing believer understand the nature of faith to test the quality of the faith he says he has. But on the main, evangelism, after laying out the awfulness of man and his sin, and the consequence and offense against God, focuses its gaze on Christ and His work on behalf of sinners. And the people simply believe. There is no emphasis on anything else. They just believe—no laboring of mechanics or methods or perfectly worded prayers, or walks to the front. They believe because it is all they can do.

The New Tribes Mission has been instrumental in giving us the best of missiological tools in their chronological approach to working with tribal groups. They teach the Bible from its beginning, laying out each story in sequence without revealing what is beyond that point. When they come to Christ, they do not present the gospel in its doctrinal entirety until it comes in the passage. In other words, they leave the person to experience the New Testament as it was experienced by those closest to Christ. In their video depiction of a tribal group in this process, the day to explain Christ's death comes. To the man, the New Guinea tribe visibly shows its sense of shame and remorse for the crucified Master. Three days are given before the group returns. Then the resurrection is explained. In the midst of the presentation, an older man jumps to his feet and loudly exclaims, "Ee-Taow," or "I believe." Others stand with the same exclamation, though this tribal group is normally reserved in their expressions. In time the whole tribe is chanting "Ee-Taow, Ee-Toaw," and jumping up and down. This went on for an extended period of rejoicing. A tribe was re-born in a day!

Such a response, with varying degrees of emotion, is the nature of believing in the New Testament. It was entirely incidental whether anyone prayed a "sinner's prayer" or walked to another place to take someone's hand. The powerful Word had encountered the people through the invincible Holy Spirit. This is New Testament evangelism.

You may not agree with my assessment, but it is my contention that our use of the altar call and the accouterment of a "sinner's prayer" is a sign of our lack of trust in God. Do we really believe that the Spirit convicts and regenerates, and that His Gospel preached and read is the ordained means He uses? Surely there is nothing unbiblical or non-evangelistic about the man who preaches the gospel forthrightly, prays earnestly, appeals urgently and places his entire trust in God to do what only He can do.

1999 Jim Elliff
201 Main, Parkville, MO 64152 USA
Permission granted for not-for-sale reproduction in exact form including copyright.
Other uses require written permission. Write for additional materials.

God's glory in hardship

I had a blast this weekend fellowshipping with Countryside's missionary to Mexico, Pastor Brian Warne, and the native Mayo-Indian brother, Norberto, who is partnering with the Warne's in Sinaloa, Mexico. Norberto came up to personally thank our church for our prayers and resource support for their family during the last few years.

This dear family has suffered immensely as their daughter, Rebecca, has had a life-changing brain tumor. She was in a coma for several months and at one point her parents were told she was clinically brain dead. Struggling for so long to find adequate care in a country notorious for poor health care, she is now, by God's grace, in a Ronald McDonald house in Texas. She has been improving slowly but steadily, but it could take five years or more before she functions with normalcy.

But to see Norberto's smile and hear him testify of his absolute trust and confidence in Christ during this trial was such a blessing to all of us. I am tearing up now just thinking about how special it was to have been there with Pastor Warne to meet this man at the airport Friday, and begin to get to know him a bit by talking to him through Pastor Warne who interpreted. It was an honor because God obviously loves him so dearly to have ordained so much suffering for him! What a dear vessel that the Lord has chosen to reflect with such brilliance the glory of God! Many others in our church have visited the Warnes in previous years and know and love Norberto.

At the end of the Sunday night service, after seeing slides and watching videos of the work in Mexico, we got to hear Norberto's testimony, through Daniel Warne (Pastor Brian's oldest son) who interpreted. Then the men of the church put their hands on Norberto and prayed for him and his family. It was a memorable and Christ-honoring evening!

While not a pastor yet technically, obviously Norberto has a pastor's heart and calling. Please pray for this godly man and what the Lord will do through him. Pray for his family as well and for Rebecca to continue to improve. We heard so many stories about this sweet seven-year-old!

I hope to post more about Norberto and the Warne's ministry in Mexico in the weeks to come.

Great Testimony of a 17-yr-old MK

Please check out this great testimony from a 17-yr-old missionary kid in Papua New Guinea, on Bob's Blog (Kids4Truth).

Severe mercies in the heart of Uganda

Take a short trip to Uganda to hear how a young man lost his leg and nearly his life, but was saved physically and eternally through the ministry of TMS alumnus Shannon Hurley (SOS Ministries).

From: The Master's Dividend

Let the Nations Be Glad!

Last week I finished up John Piper’s book Let the Nations Be Glad, a great book on missions!

A couple of things I have learned from this book is the scope of the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) in carrying the Gospel to all "peoples" and what that means exactly. Piper also makes it clear that if you’re going to be obedient to the Great Commission, you’re going to be involved in missions in one way or another, either you “go” or you you “send”!

In Part 1, Piper defines the Purpose, Power and Price of missions, which he describes as Worship, Prayer and Suffering respectively. Here is my favorite quote from this section, the first lines of the book:

“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever. (p 17)"

And Piper isn't talking about worship in terms of corporate Sunday worship alone. He wrote the final chapter to clarify what he meant by worship (see page 226) More on that later.

Part 2 spells out the necessity and nature of the missionary task. In chapter 4 Piper deals with the following important questions:

1. Will anyone experience eternal conscious torment under God's wrath?
2. Is the work of Christ the necessary means provided by God for eternal salvation?
3. Is it necessary for people to hear of Christ in order to be eternally saved?

The answers, of course, are yes, yes, and yes, but Piper answers them masterfully with Biblical authority! Here are some quotes from this section:

Great quote about William Carey:

“Carey was an English Baptist missionary who left for India in 1793. He never came home but persevered for forty years in the gospel ministry.

"Once he was talking with a Brahman in 1797. The Brahman was defending idol worship, and Carey cited Acts 14:16 and 17:30. God formerly 'suffered all nations to walk in their own ways,' said Carey, 'but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.'

"'Indeed', said the native, 'I think God ought to repent for not sending the Gospel sooner to us.' Carey was not without an answer. He said:

'Suppose a kingdom had been long overrun by the enemies of its true king, and he though possessed of sufficient power to conquer them, should yet suffer them to prevail, and establish themselves as much as they could desire, would not the valour and wisdom of that king be far more conspicuous in exterminating them, than it would have been if he had opposed them at first, and prevented their entering the country? This by the diffusion of the Gospel light, the wisdom, power, and grace of God will be more conspicuous in overcoming such deep-rooted idolatries, and in destroying all that darkness and vice which have so universally prevailed in this country, than they would have been if all had not been suffered to walk in their own ways for so many ages past.'

"Carey's answer to why God allowed nations to walk in their own ways is that in doing so the final victory of God will be all the more glorious. There is a divine wisdom in the timing of God's deliverances from darkness. We should humble ourselves to see it rather than presume to know better how God should deal with a rebellious world. (p 132)”

"The story of Cornelius the Gentile centurion could lead some to believe that a man can be saved today apart from knowing the gospel and just by fearing God and doing the good that he can." Piper dispels this false teaching on pages 134-140.

Piper goes on to defend the necessity of hearing and embracing the name of Jesus, citing 4:12. He also refutes Clark Pinnock's view that salvation is imparted to those who relate to God properly through general revelation even without a faith in Christ. I'm thankful Piper took the high road and didn't sink to commenting on this creepy picture of Mr. Pinnock...

Unlike me, Piper doesn't have to make fun, but rather sticks to his strength, brilliant biblical exegesis!

"The reason this message [The Gospel, see Acts 11:14] saves is that it proclaims the name that saves--the name of Jesus. Peter said that God visited the Gentiles 'to take from them a people for his name' (Acts 15:14). It stands to reason then that the proclamation by which God takes a people for his name would be a message that hinges on the name of his Son Jesus. This is, in fact, what we saw in Peter's preaching at the house of Cornelius. The sermon comes to its climax with these words about Jesus: 'Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name (Acts 10:43)'” (p 140)

I love this list of Scriptures describing the condition of those who are without Christ:

"All are under sin with their mouths stopped before God (Rom 3:9-19); they are in the flesh and unable to submit to God or pleas God (Rom 8:7-8); they are natural and not spiritual and therefore unable to receive the things of the Spirit (1 Cor 2:14-16); they are dead in trespasses and children of wrath (Eph 2:3-5); and they are darkened and alienated from God and hard in heart (Eph 4:17-18)." (Page 148) For more on universal depravity of mankind, check out Phil Johnson's post: "I'm Fallen, and I can't get up!"

Great quote on God's sovereignty in missions.

"It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. (Acts 13:46-48)" "Through Paul's preaching, God is now doing the sovereign work that he had overlooked for so long during the times of ignorance. He is bringing Gentiles to faith according to his preordained plan. He is opening their hearts to the gospel (Acts 16:14), granting them repentance (Acts 11:18) and cleansing their hearts by faith (Acts 15:9)" (Page 149)

Great argument on the necessity of hearing the Gospel for salvation.

"Eternal life, therefore, comes only to those who hear the voice of the Shepherd and follow him. 'My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life' (John 10:27-28). This hearing is through the messengers of the Shepherd. This is what Jesus means in John 14:6 when he says, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' 'Through me' does not mean that people in other religions can get to God because Jesus died for them, though they don't know about it. The 'through me' must be defined in the context of John's Gospel as believing in Jesus through the word of his disciples (John 6:35; 7:38; 11:25; 12:46: 17:20). (Page 151)"

Lest anyone accuse Evangelicals of being “intolerant”, Piper’s recognition of God’s love of ethnic diversity shines forth here: “The diversity of the nations has its creation and consummation in the will of God. Its origin was neither accidental nor evil. And its future is eternal: The diversity will never be replaced by uniformity. The evidence for this is found in Acts 17:26 and Revelation 21:3 (which Piper explains should be translated: “He will dwell with them, and they will be His peoples.”) Beginning on page 198, Piper gives four of the answers to the question of how diversity magnifies the glory of God.

Part 3 of LNBG is called "The Practical Outworking of Compassion and Worship". In Chapter 6 Piper deals with compassion towards the soul of man, with a little help from Jonathan Edwards (What's this? Piper quotes Edwards?!?) Chapter 7 was written to clarify what Piper meant by "worship" in the fist paragraph of the book.

Christ is our treasure and should be worshiped not for what we can get out of Him. Ponder this quote, asking the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart:

“Until your soul has a thirst for Christ as the bread of life and the living water, you will use Christ for what your soul thirsts after. Many people who claim to have saving faith simply use Christ to get what they really want, which is not Christ but his gifts (escape from hell, peace of mind, health of body, a better marriage, a social network, etc.). We are saved by coming to Christ not only as our deliverer but also as our treasure--coming for all that God is for us in Jesus. Test yourself: Would you want to go to heaven if Christ were not there? Is he or his gifts your treasure? (p 211)”

Here is a long quote but very true. Our delight in something is incomplete unless we can express it in praise. So, please indulge me in a rare instance of Bonham quoting Piper quoting CS Lewis:

"[Lewis] was bothered by the commands of God to praise God. They seemed in vain. But then he discovered why this is not vain but profoundly loving of God to do. Here is his all-important insight: 'The most obvious fact about praise…strangely escaped me … I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise. … The world rings with praise--lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside, … My whole, more general difficulty about praise of God depended on my absurdly denying to us, as regards the supremely Valuable, what we delight to do, what indeed we can't help doing, about everything else we value. I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are, the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.' In other words, genuine heartfelt praise is not artificially tacked on to joy. It is the consummation of joy. Joy in some beauty or some value is not complete until it is expressed in a kind of praise. (p 224)"

Piper on worship:

"the essential, vital, indispensable, defining heart of worship is the experience of being satisfied with God in Christ. This experience magnifies his worth, and such magnifying is what worship is…Without the experience of heartfelt satisfaction in God, praises are vain. If genuine praise can flow from a heart without satisfaction in God, then the word "hypocrisy" has no meaning, and Jesus' words are pointless when he says, "This people honors me with their lips [that is, with verbal praises], but their heart [that is, their heartfelt treasuring and satisfaction] is far from me" (Matt 15:8) … [worship services and worship singing] are part of the expression of the essence of worship, but those things can happen and not be worship. Worship is not first an outward act; it is an inner spiritual treasuring of the character and the ways of God in Christ. It is a cherishing of Christ, a being satisfied with all that God is for us in Christ. When these things are missing there is no worship, no matter what forms or expressions are present. (p 226)"

Classic Piper, this quote kicks off a very rich and power-packed Conclusion:

“The ultimate goal of God in all of history is to uphold and display his glory for the enjoyment of the redeemed from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. His goal is the gladness of his people, because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. Delight is a higher tribute than duty. The chief end of God is to glorify God and enjoy his glory forever. Since his glory is magnified most in the God-centered passions of his joyful people, God's self-exaltation and our jubilation are one. The greatest news in all the world is that God's ultimate aim to be glorified and man's aim to be satisfied are not at odds. (p 231)”

I'm new at writing book reviews. In fact, this really isn't one. Just a collection of good quotes from this fantastic book. I can't seem to write a conclusion to this review without sounding like an 8-year-old reviewing his or her favorite book on Reading Rainbow.

I think the best thing to do is to just ask you to read Let the Nations Be Glad for yourself. ... at least the four pages I didn't quote verbatim in this post!

Missions Websites

John Piper raves about the ministry of Operation World, and for good reason. I had some time to look into their website today. Along with their valuable resources, they have a daily prayer list to highlight various prayer needs in world missions. Today's entry was about Urban Evangelism. I'll quote it here, but you please visit OW to learn more.

For the first time in history, half of the world's population lives in or near a city

Challenges for Prayer
This major shift in population from rural to urban necessitates a radical shift in thinking and strategy among churches and missions reaching out to the unreached

1 Appropriate strategies for evangelizing the major non-Christian cities of the world
2 The urban poor, the biggest single challenge
3 The decaying inner cities of the West. In the midst of affluence many cities have a rotten core.
4 Christians' preconception of missions needs to shift from a 19th Century rural, tribal image to a modern, urban one
5 The mobilization of a trained and efficient work force
6 The essential and effective use of all modern methods of communication
From Operation World Web Site (www.operationworld.org), 12/28/07. Copyright ©2001 Patrick Johnstone

OW also features nations in the news, of which Sri Lanka is featured. Seeing how we shared how Peter just visited that country in mid December, I spent some time reading up on it. The Lord is really needed there, and there is much reason for hope as the Christian church there grows, but they need our prayers. Click here to learn how to pray for Sri Lanka.


This picture features street dwellers in Mumbai, Inda

I also discovered another missions website about a ministry in Asia, Servants to Asia's Urban Poor. According to their website: "Servants to Asia's Urban Poor is an international movement: a network of Christian teams living and working amongst the urban poor in Asia's mega cities, participating with the poor to bring hope and justice through Jesus Christ." What a radical and beautiful concept! To think of Westerners giving up their comforts and wealth to live and suffer with the poor in Asia to reach the lost for Christ! They feature an interesting recent article about a family that conducted an experiment to see if they could live on $200 a month! What an eye opener!

As the Servants site points out, "The urban poor are the largest and neediest unreached people group confronting today's church. We ignore this challenge at our peril: "I was hungry... and you gave me nothing to eat" (Jesus, Matthew 25:31-46)

Please pray that the Lord would lead you to explore these resources and to be obedient to the Great Commission, by praying, giving, or going with the Good News of Christ to all people groups!