Luke 10:1-16: Preparation for ministry: The trust we exercise
Phillip Ryken tells the story of ‘The China Gospel Fellowship—also known as Tanghe—is a large network of Chinese house churches. Early in 1994 the fellowship began collecting donations for a special missionary trip. Since most of the group’s members live in poverty, their giving was sacrificial. People sold their chickens or gave up money they had been saving for marriage. No matter what the cost, they wanted God to be glorified in China. When sufficient funds had been raised, the fellowship held a worship service at which they commissioned seventy young evangelists to go out two-by-two and preach the...
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Acts 8:26-40: Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
Thanks to Jeff Lane for visiting from Shore Baptist to tell us about the student ministries happening in Auckland. Jeff works for OMF NZ, has been seconded to Tertiary Students Christian Fellowship (TSCF), and works with international students at Massey University, Albany. He previously worked with OMF in China and Taiwan for several years and now primarily works with Chinese students here in NZ. Acts 8:26-40: Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch 26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert...
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Romans 15:20-24: Paul the pioneer missionary
Introduction: I would like to begin by adapting a well-known illustration relating to missions that John Piper uses in his book Let the Nations Be Glad.1 You along with ten others are on an old school lifeguard boat with oars attending to a sinking ship. You are the captain of this little band of life savers. The ship you are attending is a liner with many people that cannot swim and there are only a few life boats. You and you little team get stuck in and are trying to rescue as many as you can. But suddenly you...
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Romans 15:9: Paul The Church Planter
Introduction: How do you see the Great Commission being fulfilled? Some think that it is not our job but it was the job of the original apostles, this cannot be the case because the command to preach to all nations lasts as long as the promise of Christ’s presence does, till the end of the age. Some have a picture of mass evangelism in their minds where Billy Graham style crusades are done all over the world until millions of Christians are saved. Some see every Christian being a missionary and if each one reaches one then the world can...
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Romans 15:17-19a: The Nature of Paul’s Ministry
Introduction: What is the nature of the ministry of the church? For what purpose does the church primarily exist? Paul will help us answer these questions as he reflects on the nature of his own ministry in Romans 15:17-19. V17-19a, ‘In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God.18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed,19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God….’ What is the mission of...
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Romans 15:9-12: God of All Nations
Introduction: Many Christians without trying have a divided God, the God of the OT, and a second and different God of the NT. This functional Bitheism is a contradiction to the unity of the Scriptures and a seedbed for atheism. Some see the God of the OT as a God of law and wrath and the God of the NT as a God of salvation and love. Maybe you don’t have that extreme division in your minds but there are others who think that the God of the NT is a God of all nations, and in the OT...
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2 Samuel 23:8-39: David’s Mighty Men
INTRODUCTION: David is the great king that God appointed to establish Israel in the land and subdue the enemies of God’s people. But the scriptures are written in such a way that we could never idolise David and hero-worship him. As we come to the end of David’s life having just looked at his death bed speech, the narrative goes on and looks at those who supported David, his mighty men. David would be nowhere without them. God did not do it through David alone. It is more evident when you compare the other accounting of David’s men in...
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