My Three Passions
7-12-04
SUMMARY
God has given me three passions
Each one is very important.
When two come together I am twice as excited.
When all three come together I am more then three times as excited.
These are the three roots of the huge complex ministry that is emerging.
In a nutshell the three are Christian Education, Missions and Media.
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
We find ourselves in an era of biblical illiteracy.
Most people on the sidewalks in the USA are clueless about basic Bible facts.
Even among long-time church members there are often educational shortages.
The public schools omit teaching anything about the Bible.
This is unlike what had happened during most of the history of the USA.
The popular media omits, distorts or attacks biblical truth.
Until a few decades ago biblical morality was the standard of society.
Now political correctness with its tolerance for all viewpoints is the norm.
We are immersed in culture wars on many fronts.
Marriages and families are under attack.
Effective Christian education is not the panacea
However only as believers understand and apply the Word do we have any hope.
Christian Education is ESSENTIAL to communicating the truth in love.
The truth sets the captive free.
The Word of God is true and it reveals Jesus who is the Truth.
All humans are captive to their stinking thinking.
By default believers are worldly and carnal in their thinking and actions.
A biblical worldview takes learning and disciplined applications to achieve.
Only by the washing of the water of the Word can a mind be renewed.
For the truth of the Bible to change lives it must be rightly divided.
The doctrines, percepts and principles of the Scriptures need to be taught.
Believers can grow spiritual when they have correct biblical inputs.
Maturing believers will lead others by their good examples.
The Scriptures mandate evangelism, discipleship and benevolence.
Nothing spiritual can be done effectively UNLESS the Bible is properly taught.
MISSIONS
Missions is MUCH more than those few people who go overseas.
Missions starts here at home where we are to His witnesses in our Jerusalem.
EVERY believer has FIVE mission fields with opportunities to serve in each one.
Those five are Family, Spheres of Influence, Home Church, City and World.
ALL of them call for prayer and communicating the truth in love.
Love is to be expressed in word and in deeds.
Biblical Christianity is NOT about accumulating more and more knowledge.
Knowledge puff up and love builds up
Faith without works is DEAD.
The LORD Jesus Christ gave dozens of COMMANDS that are to be OBEYED.
We are to bear one another’s burdens within the family of God.
We are to love one another in real and meaningful ways as part of a lifestyle.
We are to reach out to those around us in Christ-like compassion.
We are to model Jesus how He treated the least and the lost.
Biblical Christianity is NOT just one big religious club.
Fellowship is nice but that is NOT the end of the story.
We are mandated to stir up one another unto love and good works.
EACH believer has spiritual gift(s) to be a good steward of before God.
The spiritual gift(s) need to be discovered and ACTIVELY developed.
When the happened then the Body of Christ will benefit and so will unbelievers.
As that happens then we will discover that we have need of each other.
Biblical Christianity is NOT about PASSIVELY sitting on padded pews
Eternal security has been called having your fire insurance.
But billions of people are going to a literal Hell forever.
The Bible COMMANDS believers to go make disciples.
The truth needs to be communicated in love.
Every human being seeks to be loved in genuine ways.
The love of God is selfless and desires to be expressed through every believer.
The outside world will know we are His disciples by our love for each other.
MEDIA
Jesus said that the fields are ripe unto harvest.
He said that we are to lift up our eyes and see this need by faith.
There is an abundance of hurting kids, teens, singles and seniors.
There are marriages and families in crisis.
There are separated couples that could be reconciled and so prevent a divorce..
There are those in hospitals, rest homes and jails that need hope.
There at those who are grieving that need comfort and encouragement.
Jesus said that the laborers are few.
There will never be enough professionally trained pastors and counselors.
Lay people need to get involved on the frontlines of ministry.
There are many struggling outreach ministries in the city that need helpers.
Yet there are not enough hours in the day and night to do all this one-on-one.
Sooner than later the willing worker uses literature, tapes and web sites.
Giving someone a tract, gospel of John or cassette tape can be used by God.
Media is not a substitute for real personal relationships.
But often time limits require using media as a compliment to ministry.
Plus media allows many other possibilities to be leveraged.
A pastor, counselor and layperson cannot be an expert in ALL fields.
Yet SOMEWHERE on the web there are sites that are by every kind of expert.
There are wonderful books and videos that can be recommended or loaned.
Sunday school classes and home cell groups often use a published workbook.
On the web there are sermons available in audio and video plus PDF files.
This generation has been given MUCH in terms of communication tools.
The business community has quickly adapted each new tool for their goals.
The church has always been very slow and seemingly reluctant to use medias.
Just because there have been a few changes that is no reason to stand still.
The enemy is using ALL kinds of media to bombard people all week long.
Songs and images that do not please God assault the youth.
We MUST harness communication technologies to reach the next generation.
Today’s children are required to use the Internet to do their homework.
They grow up in a world where it is normal to go online to answer all questions.
There is no shortage of spiritual lies, counterfeits and distortions on the web.
We MUST to these communication frontiers and set up spiritual oasis.
We need to be there for them with God’s truth and love.
7-12-04
SUMMARY
God has given me three passions
Each one is very important.
When two come together I am twice as excited.
When all three come together I am more then three times as excited.
These are the three roots of the huge complex ministry that is emerging.
In a nutshell the three are Christian Education, Missions and Media.
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
We find ourselves in an era of biblical illiteracy.
Most people on the sidewalks in the USA are clueless about basic Bible facts.
Even among long-time church members there are often educational shortages.
The public schools omit teaching anything about the Bible.
This is unlike what had happened during most of the history of the USA.
The popular media omits, distorts or attacks biblical truth.
Until a few decades ago biblical morality was the standard of society.
Now political correctness with its tolerance for all viewpoints is the norm.
We are immersed in culture wars on many fronts.
Marriages and families are under attack.
Effective Christian education is not the panacea
However only as believers understand and apply the Word do we have any hope.
Christian Education is ESSENTIAL to communicating the truth in love.
The truth sets the captive free.
The Word of God is true and it reveals Jesus who is the Truth.
All humans are captive to their stinking thinking.
By default believers are worldly and carnal in their thinking and actions.
A biblical worldview takes learning and disciplined applications to achieve.
Only by the washing of the water of the Word can a mind be renewed.
For the truth of the Bible to change lives it must be rightly divided.
The doctrines, percepts and principles of the Scriptures need to be taught.
Believers can grow spiritual when they have correct biblical inputs.
Maturing believers will lead others by their good examples.
The Scriptures mandate evangelism, discipleship and benevolence.
Nothing spiritual can be done effectively UNLESS the Bible is properly taught.
MISSIONS
Missions is MUCH more than those few people who go overseas.
Missions starts here at home where we are to His witnesses in our Jerusalem.
EVERY believer has FIVE mission fields with opportunities to serve in each one.
Those five are Family, Spheres of Influence, Home Church, City and World.
ALL of them call for prayer and communicating the truth in love.
Love is to be expressed in word and in deeds.
Biblical Christianity is NOT about accumulating more and more knowledge.
Knowledge puff up and love builds up
Faith without works is DEAD.
The LORD Jesus Christ gave dozens of COMMANDS that are to be OBEYED.
We are to bear one another’s burdens within the family of God.
We are to love one another in real and meaningful ways as part of a lifestyle.
We are to reach out to those around us in Christ-like compassion.
We are to model Jesus how He treated the least and the lost.
Biblical Christianity is NOT just one big religious club.
Fellowship is nice but that is NOT the end of the story.
We are mandated to stir up one another unto love and good works.
EACH believer has spiritual gift(s) to be a good steward of before God.
The spiritual gift(s) need to be discovered and ACTIVELY developed.
When the happened then the Body of Christ will benefit and so will unbelievers.
As that happens then we will discover that we have need of each other.
Biblical Christianity is NOT about PASSIVELY sitting on padded pews
Eternal security has been called having your fire insurance.
But billions of people are going to a literal Hell forever.
The Bible COMMANDS believers to go make disciples.
The truth needs to be communicated in love.
Every human being seeks to be loved in genuine ways.
The love of God is selfless and desires to be expressed through every believer.
The outside world will know we are His disciples by our love for each other.
MEDIA
Jesus said that the fields are ripe unto harvest.
He said that we are to lift up our eyes and see this need by faith.
There is an abundance of hurting kids, teens, singles and seniors.
There are marriages and families in crisis.
There are separated couples that could be reconciled and so prevent a divorce..
There are those in hospitals, rest homes and jails that need hope.
There at those who are grieving that need comfort and encouragement.
Jesus said that the laborers are few.
There will never be enough professionally trained pastors and counselors.
Lay people need to get involved on the frontlines of ministry.
There are many struggling outreach ministries in the city that need helpers.
Yet there are not enough hours in the day and night to do all this one-on-one.
Sooner than later the willing worker uses literature, tapes and web sites.
Giving someone a tract, gospel of John or cassette tape can be used by God.
Media is not a substitute for real personal relationships.
But often time limits require using media as a compliment to ministry.
Plus media allows many other possibilities to be leveraged.
A pastor, counselor and layperson cannot be an expert in ALL fields.
Yet SOMEWHERE on the web there are sites that are by every kind of expert.
There are wonderful books and videos that can be recommended or loaned.
Sunday school classes and home cell groups often use a published workbook.
On the web there are sermons available in audio and video plus PDF files.
This generation has been given MUCH in terms of communication tools.
The business community has quickly adapted each new tool for their goals.
The church has always been very slow and seemingly reluctant to use medias.
Just because there have been a few changes that is no reason to stand still.
The enemy is using ALL kinds of media to bombard people all week long.
Songs and images that do not please God assault the youth.
We MUST harness communication technologies to reach the next generation.
Today’s children are required to use the Internet to do their homework.
They grow up in a world where it is normal to go online to answer all questions.
There is no shortage of spiritual lies, counterfeits and distortions on the web.
We MUST to these communication frontiers and set up spiritual oasis.
We need to be there for them with God’s truth and love.
