As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.

John 17

As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. John 17:18

This morning, my focus is DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, where John Piper seeks for believers to prepare our hearts for Christmas.  Today's Solid Joys daily devotion marks day 18 of Advent, and today John Piper focuses on how Christmas is a model for missions. The Great Commission in Matthew 28 calls believers to go out and make disciples of all nations.  Regardless of whether we as believers are personally engaged in the global mission field, we are called to support - through prayer, financial assistance, etc. - missions.  Missionaries often place themselves in harm's way by venturing deep into places where sharing the gospel is a known danger based on previous persecution of Christians. For those facing this danger, Piper quotes mid-16th century missionary Francis Xavier (1506–1552) and encourages missionaries to avoid "distrust[ing] the mercy of God."  Piper then goes on to share that if this "danger is avoided, then all other dangers lose their sting. In the end God makes every dagger a scepter in our hand. As J.W. Alexander says, 'Each instant of present labor is to be graciously repaid with a million ages of glory.'"  This serves as an encouragement for all believers to live fearlessly as whatever fear of man we may have, pales in comparison to the danger many missionaries face every day. Be bold!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of compassion and grace for me.  You are my refuge and so much more....thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You protect and provide refuge.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do....“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

Galatians 1-2 and Romans 10:14-17

Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do....“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Galatians 2:10 and Romans 10:15

This morning, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter nine Gospel to the Nations, Generosity to the Poor, pages 134-144.  Here, Piper largely leans on Galatians 1-2 and Romans 10:14-17 to illustrate how God calls us to reach the unreached and the poor which for most of the world is the same according to Piper.  Piper starts by looking at Galatians 1 where Paul urges the Galatians not to abandon their faith by following false teaching. We must believe in grace alone, and faith in Christ alone - nothing else. Piper describes how Paul met with the apostles in Jerusalem and demonstrated his faith by "not yield[ing] in submission even for a moment" (Galatians 2:5) to false teaching, and how this led the apostles to agree on how Peter would continue to preach to the Jews and Paul would preach to the (unreached) Gentiles.  Regardless of two approaches - there was unity in the overall mission (Galatians 2:9) - to seek and save the lost.  Piper writes how Galatians 2:6-9 describe what how the founding apostles and Paul protect against one of the churches earliest threats.  Piper then wants us to see how all of the apostles and Paul sought also to unify around a key aspect of missions to reach the unreached and the poor - which, again, Piper sees as often one and the same. He describes the 10/40 window, and how this area is home to some of the largest unreached people groups in the world.  We encouraged to see how God is calling us to serve this vast group of the unreached poor.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God and You have blessed me beyond what I deserve and helped through great difficulties...You have never left or forsaken me and I continue to see Your hand in my life and in all things.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You bless me and protect me.  My sin continues...harsh words for others, worry, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 2 Corinthians 2:14-16

This afternoon, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter seven The Aroma of Christ among the Nations, pages 110-120.  Here, Paul paints two pictures of mission work to help us better understand our fitness for performing what Piper calls "pioneer" or "frontier" missionaries - those going out to unreached people groups where the church has yet to be established. First, Piper starts with believers who have a great opportunity to serve right where they are in their local communities, but, like Paul in v12-13, move on to join the mission field.  Piper writes: "[a] door is wide open where you are. Much needs to be done—right where you are. But your spirit cannot rest. So it was with Paul. And amazingly, he left the open door of Troas behind and followed his restless spirit." Piper then wants us to see two pictures of mission work (1) where we are defeated and brought before a conquering King (Jesus) and led in "triumphal procession" - but as Christ is in us and we are to serve the great Victor (Jesus); (2) we then become a pleasing aroma to God and to the world. 

Piper then looks at five (5) tests to determine "fitness" for frontier or pioneer mission work:

1. do we treasure Christ enough so that we do not peddle his word (do we love Christ more than we love money?)
2. will we speak from sincerity (no pretense or hypocrisy)
3. will you speak as from God (not in your own power)
4. will you speak as before God (not judged by other people)
5. will you speak as in Christ (is our confidence and identity in Christ?)

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God and You have placed so many inspiring missionaries in my life and I have an awesome glimpse of mission work and Your glory through them!  Thank You Jesus for the great work You are doing through them and for the strength, inspiration, and power I get from these people!  You are an awesome God and Your church provides strength for me.  I am not deserving of how You bless me through the church.  I am weak, often selfish, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. John 10:14-16

This afternoon, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter three  The Voice of the Sovereign Shepherd - pages 54-67. Here, Piper primarily uses John to state that there are other sheep (implying unreached people of the earth) that are "are not of this fold" (John 10:16). He briefly describes the doctrine of election, and how God has already chosen a select from the unreached people of the earth to be His, to hear his voice (John 10:3-4), and He knows them and they will follow Him (John 10:27). Piper encourages us to see how God does all of this but NOT without us as believers some of whom He calls to enter the mission field.  Piper closes the chapter to write: "[d]on't waste your life.  Open your mouth, and become and voice of the sovereign Shepherd.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God and I am grateful that there are those who have opened their mouth and served as a voice of the sovereign Shepherd - that I would be saved.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a blessing.  My sin is great and it continues...including worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name's sake. But not a hair of your head will perish.

You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name's sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. Luke 21:16-18

This morning, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter two Doing Missions When Dying is Gain - pages 37-53.  Here, Piper looks at how suffering in the missions field brings about fruit, for those to whom the gospel is preached and for those who do the preaching working as missionaries. He states that "[t]he price of God's global mission is suffering, and the volatility in the world today against the church is not decreasing." We are encouraged, particularly Americans, to move away from comfort and stress-free living to "take up His cross and follow [Jesus]" (Matthew 16:24).  Piper goes on to write how "suffering is not just the price of missions but also the means."  He unpacks Colossians 1:24 as the scriptural basis for this view. People all over the world need to see the personal sacrifice of missionaries as a demonstration and presentation of Christ's sufferings on the cross. We are encouraged to lean on God's promises that God is so much bigger than the harm that may befall us in the service of Christ. 

• Hebrews 13:5-6
• Romans 8:35-39 
• Luke 21:16-18 
  

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are amazing and You bless me with all of Your promises that always come true - Your Word does not fail!  Thank You Jesus!  I can rest in Your Word and with Your promises. Yet I am undeserving of Your faithfulness...because my sin continues...and I know You hate sin.  Please forgive me for worry, etc.  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.