A Forgotten Fact about the Earliest Christian Movement
The lovable Disney film Moana, tells the story of a young girl who lives on a Polynesian island and is the daughter of the chief. Like many fathers, the chief is overly protective of his daughter, and also of the people he rules.
As a result, the people of Moana’s village are in a bit of a rut. They are rather uninspired and somewhat in-grown, not sure of their purpose or destiny. And Moana feels the same unrest. The core of the movie catalogs her struggle to discover her identity and calling.
But here’s the key. While she is curious about what her future should be, her breakthrough comes … Continue reading...
Missions and the Kingdom of God
What is “missions” anyway? I suppose most people would equate the missions enterprise with evangelism. It is about preaching the gospel in order to get conversions, we might think.
Now, this conception of missions is largely correct. It is certainly about evangelism. But, it also about more than this. Biblically speaking, the missions task is about the spread of the Kingdom of God. It is about the spread of God’s reign, his rule, his dominion, to the ends of the earth.
And as God’s Kingdom advances, the world is changed. People submit to his rule. Business practices follow the teachings of Scripture. Marriages are renewed and revived. Vocations are … Continue reading...