Is this God’s way of telling us that what we’re attempting to do is not His will? Or could it be something else trying to hinder us? It can’t be the former, because we know what the divine will is – go, preach, make disciples. So we press on.

Be sure to give it a good read, maybe even a second or third.

Related articles

• Why Do I Feel The Way I Do? (gospelprogress.com)
• “When Life Doesn’t Work Out the Way You Had Hoped!” (thejenkinsinstitute.com)
• God still moves mountains (chuckwebster.org)

He always had an idea; he was always dreaming a dream.

Not all of his dreams worked out. Men he trusted disappointed him. Not everyone saw his vision as clearly as he. Often they scoffed at his ideas. He made mistakes, even enemies. His body grew old. But never his ideas.

God give us more dreamers like him.

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• How Christians impact each other (forthright.net)

Like with Moses and the stick, God says to us, “Think about what you already have. Your stuff, empowered by my Spirit, might just be enough for some pretty big things I’m asking of you.” Here are some unnoticed “sticks” you may have in your hand, or on a shelf, or, in the case of the first one, lying around the house.

This evangelical missions weekly offers some avenues of service in God’s mission for every Christian.

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• 2012 retreat: Priorities for Missions Today (missionaryretreat.wordpress.com)
• Why the church stops growing (randalmatheny.com)

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Harvard public policy professor Robert D. Putnam has a tongue-in-cheek suggestion for pastors: “Spend less time on the sermons, and more time arranging the church suppers.”

That’s because research by Putnam and Chaeyoon Lim, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, shows that the more church friends a person has, the happier he or she is.

“Church friends are super-charged friends, but we have no idea why,” Putnam told a Feb. 16 summit on religion, well-being and health at Gallup world headquarters in Washington. “We have some hypotheses, but we don’t know for sure.” … (read entire report)

I wrote “illustrates” rather than “confirms” above, because the Bible is its own confirmation. But it serves as a good reminder that the demonstration of love accompanies the message and imprints in people’s minds the fellowship and community that God creates in the church.

Related articles

• The Church (forthright.net)
• Where Visitors Go to Die (bulletin-digest.com)
• Eat this, not that (chuckwebster.org)

Reblogged from Klang Valley Citywide Campaign:

I'm reposting this here, which obviously fits, but also to test the Reblog feature on WP.

Now, I do understand and agree that some Christians will have more talents than others in the area of evangelism. But, even the most limited soldier in God’s kingdom has a role in the realm of evangelism. Every Christian must do what he or she can to reach the lost! If you’re not doing anything to reach the lost, you are wasting abilities and opportunities; you are rebelling against God’s command (whether you realize it or not; cf. Matt. 25:14-30)!

As you consider this lesson, I challenge you to look into your heart and life. Are you a sower of seed for God? Or, are you content to babysit the seed sack and not share it with others? Are you obedient to the Great Commission? Or, is evangelism a great omission in your life?

I have seven points I’d like to share on this theme. These are seven reasons why I believe some people are not evangelistic (though I believe we all should be passionate about trying to save the lost):

Read the whole article with his seven points here.

Over on the Biblical Notes ezine, I explored a few weeks ago what is “Man’s noblest function,” taking my cue from a jornalist’s quote. I pray you’ll find it thought-provoking as we consider the nature of our earthly task.

I take advantage of the moment to say, once again, to those who perhaps have not yet heard, that an email scam is circulating in my name asking for funds for a British evangelist. It did not originate from me, in spite of the use of personal information.

We now turn our attention to an “evaluation tool” which is sorely misunderstood and frequently abused. This tool or test may be termed the “numbers test.”

It takes various forms and is spoken of in a variety of ways, but one basic attitude prevails. “How many baptisms do they have each year?” “How many congregations are being established?” In reality, if you ask faithful veteran missionaries, they will readily admit that this mindset often comes out in “mission reports” more as a numbers game, rather than a true test.

Both articles are worth your time. The second one on BNc is here.

After this Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth. There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to depart from Rome. Paul approached them, and because he worked at the same trade, he stayed with them and worked with them (for they were tentmakers by trade). He addressed both Jews and Greeks in the synagogue every Sabbath, attempting to persuade them. Now when Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul became wholly absorbed with proclaiming the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. Acts 18:1-5 NET

The text seems to indicate that when Silas and Timothy arrived, they may well have brought with them help from Philippi (see chaps. 1 and 4 of that letter). Then Paul “became wholly absorbed with proclaming the word.” That probably means he “devoted himself exclusively to preaching” (NIV) since he no longer needed to take time out to personally earn his living.

Paul went on his journey expecting to have to work with his hands while he preached. He never once thought that he couldn’t embark on a missionary tour nor that he’d have to return to Antioch because he didn’t have the funds.

It’s one thing to make plans and moves based on strategy for the gospel, another entirely to withdraw from a field for lack of funds.

Having been rabbi-trained, Paul had learned an occupation and put it to good use for the kingdom of Christ. Like the apostle, today’s workers do well to consider vocational ministry, if support is not forthcoming.

The state of the American economy and the world situation present an opportunity to reconsider the need, on the side of missions personnel, for self-support.

On the side of congregations, it is a call to greater, not lesser, involvement, to more significant investments of financial resources, not fewer.

Last year, until the last moment, our family faced this option of partial self-support, and we actually began a small business to that end. We know a number of missionaries who work to stay on the field.

And the story in Corinth? Scripture says that “many of the Corinthians who heard about it believed and were baptized” (v. 7). The Lord promised many, many more people for the kingdom.

Might that not have been thanks in part to churches who released Paul for exclusive dedication to the preaching of the word?

Lacking that possibility, however, doesn’t mean the word shouldn’t be preached. As always, there are options. And in either, the Lord will bless.