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.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Matthew 24

And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14

Tonight, I continue a pause on both of my studies in Isaiah and Revelation to listen to John Piper's daily devotion for today - Solid Joys.  Here Piper emphasizes that what is stated here in Matthew 24:14 is one of God's promises - God states that "the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world"  before the end times.  The certainty of Jesus' statement is worth noting here, according to Piper, because believers can pray with great faith and invest with great confidence both those in the mission field (effort) and those supporting them. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your promises!  There are many and because You are faithful - I know they will all come to pass.  I can pray in great faith and invest richly into the mission field because I know You will fulfill Your promise.  Thank You Jesus!  What a blessing!  I am not deserving of participating in such a blessing - my sin is great and it is daily....worry, anger, 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 appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints[.]

Romans 15

I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints[.] Romans 15:30-31

This afternoon, I continued my study of Romans.  Using my commentary - Exalting Jesus in Romans (eBook) - I continued with chapter nineteen Great Commission Christians, which covers Romans 15:14-15:33.  My focus today is v15:30-33, which my commentary refers to under the heading "Pray for Those on the Front Lines." Paul is indeed on the front lines, and as he aspires to preach the gospel throughout the region to Spain (v15:28) and elsewhere as part of his "holy ambition," he faces resistance, persecution, loneliness, financial strain, etc.  John tells that our journey with Christ will not be without troubles (John 16:33).  Paul asks, indeed "appeal[s]" (v15:30), for prayer - to join him in prayer.  I strive to be generous with my prayer - even as I know I fall short on this.  I pray to be generous in my prayer.  James encourages us to pray as we should understand it is powerful:

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16

From today's verses, my commentary seeks to have believers understand six aspects of prayer:  

• it is a privilege
• we love others through our prayers
• we should pray passionately and persistently
• we should pray for those on the front lines and for their work to bear fruit
• we should pray with awareness that God may not answer our prayers as we envision
• we should pray not just for immediate needs but for long term desires (and heart change) 

In particular, I know if I more clearly recognize the first two aspects I will move closer to delivering on the last four. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are indeed a great God and I know that You have placed others in my life who have prayer for me.  I have felt these prayers and I know as a result You responded with power and movement in my life.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how others have prayed for me as I have sinned greatly and it weighs heavy.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome my sin and turn 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.

...[S]o that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company.

Romans 15

...[S]o that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. Romans 15:32

This morning, I continued my study of Romans.  Using my commentary - Exalting Jesus in Romans (eBook) - I continued with chapter nineteen Great Commission Christians, which covers Romans 15:14-15:33.  My focus today is v15:28-29, 32, which my commentary refers to under the heading "Refresh Those on the Front Lines." As I continue to unpack what my commentary refers to as Paul's missionary letter (Romans 15), I come back to a theme I addressed a couple of days ago - how believers can support those in the mission field, even those in local ministries who might not be many miles away from home.  Although I have never been in the role, my sense is that being a missionary in a far off place or even starting a local ministry can be a lonely and challenging place as people are called by what I posted about a few days ago - holy ambition.  While we can provide financial and material support, we can also pray, encourage, and support in other ways - Paul refers to this in v15:32 as being "refreshed."

My commentary refers to this as "relational refreshment" and refers to John Piper's message how "God loves to refresh people through people." We are encouraged to "refresh one another...leadership...those overseas...[and to] make the ministry of refreshment part of our regular Christian lives, through personal visits, by communicating through available means, and by practicing hospitality, all with gospel-saturated words of encouragement."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are amazing and You have placed others in my life that refresh me - thank Your Jesus.  However, I have often fallen down in being a refreshment to others.  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.