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Tribal Believer Reading the Bible

In Romans 1:16, Paul boldly declares that he is not ashamed of the Gospel.  In fact, he is very eager to preach it to those in Rome.  Even if the world around him saw the Gospel of Jesus Christ as utterly foolish and ridiculous, Paul felt no shame or disgrace as he openly declared it.  In fact, for him to say that he was not ashamed is really his way of saying that he was incredibly proud of and gloried in the Gospel message.  But why?  Why not be ashamed when everyone views you as a complete fool for what you believe and proclaim? 

Paul goes on to explain why saying, “for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…”  The word “for” tells us that Paul is explaining why he isn’t ashamed.  The Gospel message was not a disgraceful message to Paul because it was the answer to man’s biggest problem.  Paul realized that what he declared was the greatest message in the world.  Within his message was a declaration of the power of God as it has been active on behalf of sinful man.  It is a living message about the living God who has reached out to deliver His enemies from eternal destruction.  God’s power was seen in the work of Jesus Christ as He gave His own life baring the fullness of God’s wrath toward sinners like you and me.  God’s power was seen as Christ rose from the dead and sat down at His right hand guaranteeing the eternal life yet to come for all His followers. 

The Gospel is God at work.  God is known through what He says and does.  His love, grace, mercy, and justice were all in action through the work of Christ.  The Gospel is effective and able to save those destined for an eternity apart from God’s goodness and presence.  The problem of man was utterly beyond a solution.  The only solution possible was for God to act on behalf of His enemies.  That is exactly what He did, and that is exactly what the Gospel declares.

God has acted.  He has made salvation possible, and all those who will simply believe it have a right standing with God and the hope of eternal glory with Christ.  How could anyone be ashamed of such an incredible message?  Although I know I am often hesitant to boldly speak of the Gospel, I am so thankful that it was made clear to me.  It showed me God’s power at work on my behalf, and that is an amazing message to receive. 

Maybe someday those who have never heard about God’s power on their behalf for salvation will have their chance because you and I have worked together, sacrificed together, and proclaimed together the glorious Gospel of grace!  To the ends of the earth!

Let’s keep laboring for the Gospel.  It will be worth it.  God promises!

I am primarily writing this for all those who labor next to us in prayer, encouragement, and financial support, but as I thought through these things I felt like others might enjoy it too.  So…here you go!

In “The Attributes of God” A.W. Tozer says, “If there’s anything necessary to your eternal happiness but God, you’re not the kind of Christian that you ought to be.  For only God is the true rest…This kind of Christianity doesn’t draw big crowds.  It draws only those who have their hearts set on God, who want God more than they want anything else in the world” (30-31).  Tozer states this after asking, “Why aren’t we happy?”  We aren’t happy because we are seeking pleasure in things the size of a grain of sand in comparison to the infinite and immeasurable God.  We aren’t happy because all that is beneath God will never satisfy.  We were created to rule and reign over all things, yet the pleasure enjoyed in that task was to flow from a close intimacy with God.

I am writing this because if you are like me, every year at Thanksgiving you try to figure out what you are thankful for and realize that you aren’t that thankful.  Although I have such abundance, honestly, the things I have haven’t brought me the satisfaction that I desire.  Family and friends are great but not that great.  Money is great but not that great.  Possessions are great but not that great.  My job is great but not that great.  Life is good but not that good.  We live in a world of delusion.  We try to convince ourselves that we have all we want while we continually strive to get more because what we have honestly hasn’t met our need.  We say we are thankful, but we all know that it is often nothing more than lip service.  Many will want to argue with me here, but an honest evaluation of our heart would reveal these things to be true.  People all around will be celebrating Thanksgiving just like we do as believers.  In fact, they will be listing off many of the same things that we will say we are thankful for- a list of “stuff” that can’t fully satisfy our hearts that hunger so badly for God…There are far too many Christians who are satisfied with all the “stuff” they are thankful for this year.  The “stuff” has numbed their need for God.

So with all that in mind, I am thankful for who God is and the fact that I know Him.  Knowing Him is what brings joy to my life.  Knowing Him is what gives all these little things their value and purpose.  True thanksgiving flows from an intimate relationship with Him every day.  He knows us better than anyone, and only He can satisfy our deepest longings.  The following is a list of truths about God, and why I am so thankful for them:

1) He is eternal, perfect, and not a created being.  The God of the Bible has always been.  He continues forever because time has no control over Him.  Before all things were created, He was.  This tells us that He has no needs.  He has always been complete and sufficient in Himself for all eternity.  He doesn’t depend upon me for His happiness or to meet any other need He has.  Because He is fully sufficient there is no need that I have that isn’t met in Him.  Nothing at all can manipulate Him or force Him to be something other than what He has always been.  He is constant.  I am so thankful that I know the eternal God who has always been.  He doesn’t need me, but He has given me the opportunity to know Him.  My success and failure has no impact on who He is.  He is amazing!

2) He is limitless.  God’s character is infinite.  This means that He is perfectly all that He is.  His love is infinite.  His knowledge is infinite.  His power is infinite.  His justice is infinite.  His wisdom is infinite.  His grace and mercy are infinite.  I am so thankful for this because I know that I will never exhaust His love, patience, mercy, goodness, etc. in my life.  The grace that I stand in today knows no limit.  No matter what my situation His wisdom is always sufficient.  There is nothing He doesn’t know, and there is nothing He can’t do.  For Him to lack anything would make Him less than God.  He is limited in no way and beyond measure.  This is my God, and I am so thankful that He has no boundaries.

3) He is unchanging.  God is always consistent with who He has always been.  He doesn’t have moods or allow His emotions to control Him.  He will never be other than what He once was.  He is God and today He is just as reliable, trustworthy, and faithful as He has always been.  Nothing can force Him to change.  He never compromises or loses control.  I am so thankful that today my confidence is in His Word and character.  Everything else in my life could be taken away or even fail me, but He never will.  He will always be.  Amen!

4) He is everywhere.  There is no limit to God’s presence.  Because He is Spirit He is everywhere present.  He can’t get any nearer to me than He is right now.  He is not confined to a sanctuary, rock, or stone.  There is no place in the universe where I could run to escape from His presence.  He is here with me now.  As a believer, I get to enjoy fellowship with His presence.  He is not just a God who is far, but He is a God who is near.  He is aware and involved in everything I do today.  He knows my thoughts and my actions, and He is always here ready to hear from me.  He is the infinite, eternal God who makes Himself close to me today.  I am so thankful for His intimate presence in my life every day.

5) He holds history in His hands.  He is the King eternal.  No matter how hard things get or how bad man seems to be, God will bring history to its intended goal.  There is never a time when He loses control of the universe and all things fall into chaos.  He has never lost control no matter how hard man and Satan fight against Him.  We will win, and I will share in that victory.  In fact, in many ways I already do.  I am thankful that I have a hope that rests in the victory of the true King.

Today I know true life because I know Him.  Today I breathe because He is holding the universe together.  Today I could die in excitement and joy because I know Him and know what He has in store for His people.  Only He can satisfy us, and now is our chance to begin getting to know Him.  I am not talking about playing the games of Christianity.  I am talking about a real, serious relationship with Him.  I am thankful that this is possible, and I am thankful that He continues to pursue me in that relationship today.  I constantly fail and prioritize stuff above Him, but today I am reminded that I should be far more thankful for who God is than all the “stuff” in my life.  He gave His Son for this relationship.  Clearly it is a big deal to Him.  Thank You Lord for the sacrifice of Your Son.  Thank You for the hope I have in the glory You have in store for all Your children.

Amanda and I are so thankful that all of you are getting to know Him too.  We aren’t just doing jobs and going through the motions of giving money here and there and being good Christians.  We are serving the One True God, and as we serve Him together I hope we can grow ever closer to Him together.  I hope that is what motivates you as we continue to labor to see unreached people come to learn about Him for the very first time.  I hope someday they too can be thankful for who He is.  Don’t take it for granted!

-Chris

Today is Day of Prayer at New Tribes Bible Institute, and I decided to begin my day prioritizing time for fellowship with God.  I spent some time thinking through 1 Peter 3:17-22, and one thing that really stood out to me was the statement about God’s patience in verse 20.  Why did God wait so long between telling Noah to build the ark and when He flooded the earth?  According to this verse, He waited because His patience led Him to wait.  He was willing to continue to endure the wickedness of man because He is patient.  What was so convicting about this was that it was so clear that God’s patience wasn’t based upon the worthiness of man.  God was able to be patient with a people who were completely unworthy of it and in fact were soon to face His judgment.

What is so amazing about God (on top of everything else, of course) is that He is independent.  What this means is that He is not dependent upon anyone or anything.  He existed for eternity without us, and He didn’t create us because He needed us.  So often we view God as someone whose mood and actions are constantly being swayed by His emotional response to our choices.  We view God as if He has needs that are met in us.  If I am bad enough God will become impatient with me, but if I am good enough God will love me more.  The error in such thinking is that God’s character does not depend upon us in any way.  He loves us perfectly apart from anything we have done.  He is patient with us because that is who He is regardless of what we have done.  He is just in all that He does no matter what circumstance we present before Him.  He is able to sacrifice for us even though we have never done anything to earn it.  He always has our best interest in mind because that is who He is at all times.  This never changes because all that He is He is at all times.  His mood doesn’t fluctuate based upon the actions of people.  That is a very assuring thing for those who have put their confidence in Him.

So what’s my point?  Well, I asked myself why I don’t pursue the people around me more, and I asked myself why it is that I don’t have the best interest of those around me in mind.  As I considered these questions, I realized the answer was simply because I am not like God.  My choices every day are based upon what the people around me are doing.  I serve those who seem worthy of service.  I spend time with those who have earned my time.  I am patient with those who have done enough to get on my good side.  I am friendly with those who have been friendly with me.  I sacrifice for those who have sacrificed for me.  Do you see what I am saying?  People have to earn my love, patience, service, sacrifice, and time.  We are all like this, and it is easy for us to defend such thinking.  To such a defense I simply respond, “The standard is not other people.  We were created to reflect who God is, and we clearly don’t.”  I should be able to sacrifice for the most undeserving.  Love is a choice that I should be able to make even for those who have done nothing for me.  I should pursue people because it is what God does not because they seem worthy to me.

I wanted to share this with all of you because I know you can relate.  As I consider the fact that there are so many in the world who haven’t heard the Gospel, I can’t help but come back to the fact that we are self-focused people.  Why aren’t more people going?  Why aren’t more people giving?  Why are our sacrifices so small?  Why are we storing up so much for our own comfort here and now?  Why is our prayer life so focused on our own needs?  Why do we created budgets that revolve around us being able to get all that we want instead of being able to give all that we can?  Why is that we can talk about this tragedy as if it is old news that sparks so little emotion in us?  How can we be so surrounded by truth and opportunity and still view the unreached as if they are no different?

The answer to these problems is the same as it is for why I am the way I am every day- We aren’t like God.  This is not a good thing.  We were created to reflect His image, and if God is truly accomplishing His will in our lives then day by day we are supposed become more like Him.  Is this happening, or are we growing more self-focused?  I find that I fight for myself and my desires more than I fight for anything else.  It is time for us to stop fighting and time to let God transform us through the renewing of our minds.

Why has God left us here on this planet?  Because of His patience.  He is enduring wicked men because He desires that they turn to Him.  That is our God, but it is not us.  It is time for our thinking to get in line with His.  It is time for serious confession, and it is time for change.  At least…I know that is what God would want…

The Sager Creek Youth

Most Christians would agree that faith is important to God, but how many of them can even define faith biblically?  According to Hebrews 11:6, “Without faith it is impossible to please God…”  If we don’t get faith right everything else gets distorted.  In fact, we get missions wrong if we have a distorted understanding of faith.

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