The Presence of God... There is much to be sai don this topic but those that most profoundly struck me were these:
- The Prince of Peace, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, our Great High Priest, Wonderful Counselor, Creator, Sustainer, the Suthor and Sustainer of Life... These are but a glimpse of Jesus Christ and we have reduced Him to a puny saviour who waits eagerly -- yea, even yearns for our acceptance? Jesus Christ does NOT need any of us!
- Everytime Moses would leave the camp and go to the tent of meeting all of the people would stand at the entrances of their tents and watch as he passed by. When he entered the tent and the cloud of smoke would descend upon the tent all the people would bow in worship. Today, we need no person to go for us and plead our case because Jesus has torn the curtain in two and now we are able to enter and meet with God ourselves.
- What struck me so severly was this: We are now the tent. The Holy Spirit of the Living God dwells in us! How amazing! How grieving...! How can we, who have the Spirit allow ourselves to ever willingly or knowingly engage in sin?! How can we so defile that dwelling place? While sin is inevitable in this life, it should so much more motivate us to flee from it at every turn...
Day 2:
The Power of God... most specifically in the church and individuals pertaining to the Discipleship and witness:
- He is worthy of our worship but not only this. He is worthy or THEIR worship! This should be the primary thrust of missions and outreach. The evangelical church is missing the mark. The point is NOT:
To rush the return of Christ (because He can only return when all the nations have been reached). To make good citizens who live peacefully. To meet the social needs of the world.
- THE REASON WE DO MISSIONS IS BECAUSE GOD IS WORTHY OF EVERY MAN'S WORSHIP!
- Are we teaching to create listeners or reproducers? (Are we being taught for our own gain of knowledge and wellbeing OR do we listen so that we can in turn teach what we have heard and learned to others so that they may do the same and so on?)
- The key to reaching the masses is NOT by reaching the masses but rather by investing in the few so that they too can invest in a few and so on. That is Christ's model and that is essentially discipleship.
- Are we discipling or DISINFECTING Christians?
- "Disinfecting isolates a Christian in a spiritual safety deposit box called the church building and teaches him or her to be good."
- "Discipling propels a Christina into the world to risk his or her life for the sake of others."
- "Compassion is not selective!" We don't only minister to Christians here or abroad. We minister where we are as effectively as we can for as long as we have. The question has nothing to do with be called to foreign missions.
