Berean Community Church Blog

Pastor Kevin delivered a great message yesterday on Philippians 2:11-18.  I was really challenged by this passage: 

Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. - Philippians 2:14-15

I must confess, I am a grumbler and a questioner.  Neither of these qualities are the marks of a joyful follower of Jesus Christ.  So, I have something to work on (imagine that).  I see two major reasons why I grumble and question.

Reason #1.  I also fail to see that all things come from God and are for my good, even the trials and sufferings (small as they usually are).  I fail to believe the promise of Romans 8:28 which Christ's death and resurrection purchased for me:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

If I really believed this moment by moment, I would recognize that even my little trials and sufferings are from the hand of God intended to bring about good for me.   

Reason #2.  I think that I deserve to have things better than I do at any given moment.  I lose sight of the fact that God has lavished his mercy and grace upon me in sending his Son to die for my sin and save me from eternal hell.  I don't deserve things to be better; in fact, I deserve things to be much, much worse.  If only I had John Newton's perspective every minute of the day, "I am a great sinner, but Christ is a great savior."  I used to regularly respond with the phrase "Better than I deserve" whenever anyone asked me "How's it goin'?" or something similar.  I have fallen out of habit and have resorted back to the typical non-answer "Good."  I think the former answer helps shape my perspective that because of Jesus I have all that I need to be happy and I deserve none of it.  So why grumble or question? 

Not to mention, the response "Better than I deserve" is often met with "Huh?" or "What do you mean by that?" which gives you the perfect opportunity to testify to the grace and love of God in Jesus Christ   Just try it.

“Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.” - Jeremiah 15:16

As with most mission trips — we went to give of ourselves, give our time, our understanding of God’s great love, our physical strengths, and our resources.  And we did give – helping build with cement, shining God’s love and being His salt and light, loving 22 orphans who only want the love and attention all kids need;  giving Creole scriptures and tracts, performing a simple gospel skit/mime,  giving bead necklaces and bracelets, balloons, basketballs, color crayons and books, hackey-sacks, toothbrushes, vegetable seeds from the U.S., first-aid kits, stickers and more.  But the team would no doubt say that we received much more than we gave.  We received, in an unexpected hilltop prayer and worship service, in spirit-filled worship services in Ennery and Camathe,  and in the extraordinary loving hospitality of our hosts – Paul & Belle – who provided transportation, safe lodging, 3 meals every day (7am, 12noon, 6pm),  daily devotions, a day trip to an historic site, tours of a clinic and university and school, interpretive services that made the language barrier easy to handle, and many more smaller details.

We saw so much that it is hard to describe in a short article.  Streets and roads that made a 15-minute trip take an hour; ‘the main road’ that was constantly buzzing with pedestrians, bikes,  scooters, buses, trucks (small wonder it had so many potholes); amazing vegetation and animals – including banana trees, pineapple bushes,  mango trees, orange trees, goats, roosters, cows, and geckos; a market much different than our cozy ‘farmers’ market back home; we saw answered prayer in worship opportunities, drama presentations, healing of upset stomachs, safe travel, found journals; we experienced foods that were new and different – including rice and beans, frog legs, lam, plantain, ka-chi-ma, goat stew, rice pudding, and even ate at a ‘nice’ outdoor Cap-Haitian restaurant. 

Life lessons?  Give more.  Support missions at every possible occasion.  Simplify your life.  Be content. (‘..for food and clothing, with these we shall be content.’  1 Timothy 6:8)  Never forget those who struggle for daily survival. And finally…..Do what you can where you are with what you have.  Would we go again?   You bet.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” - Matthew 5:16

When you heard Christo and Melissa Phillip share their plans to do medical missions in Northeastern India did your heart jump for joy?  Maybe you got excited about the idea that you can help reach distant pagans for Christ from right here in Rochester.  After all, "How are they (Christo and Melissa) to preach unless they are sent?" (Acts 10:15).  Sent ones need senders! 

Or maybe you got excited for a moment about the idea of becoming a missionary yourself.  But then the service was over and it was back into the normal routine of life, and besides, you haven't heard any angels singing lately, and there is plenty to do for Jesus here in the States.   

It is true: some are called to be sent, and others are called to send.  But none are called to do neither!  Which part is God calling you to do?  The Living God is a Missionary God, and He has an exciting purpose for you in missions.  Jesus left His "home" in heaven to seek and save the lost, and He calls each one of us to join Him in this GREAT Commission. 

As one author recently said: "We are within range of penetrating every people group on the planet with the light of the gospel with more momentum than ever before in history.  Be a part of it–find a place of historic significance in declaring His glory among the nations!"

If you want to whet your appetite for a greater zeal for the global cause of Christ, check out the link below and check out this blog in the future.  Lord willing, I will be posting some mind-blowing, heart-wrenching, and soul-empowering statistics, quotes, weblinks, and other blurbs that God might use to set you on fire for the nations!

But don't get me wrong: the ministry of the local church is just as important as missions.  They cannot exist without each other.  "Missions exists because worship doesn't.  The ultimate goal of the church is not missions.  Worship is!" (John Piper in Let the Nations Be Glad).  In other words, we do missions so that other people can worship God with us around the world, and to establish new local ministries!

If the ministry of the local church does not thrive, then we will be less likely to raise up new missionaries, and we will be less likely to have the resources to send them, and we will miss out on God's plan to be glorified among the unreached peoples for whom Christ died.  On the other hand, as our local ministries thrive, may we guard ourselves against selfishness and never lose sight of the vision found in Psalm 67: "Let the peoples praise You, O' God; let all the nations praise You!  Let the nations be glad and sing for joy!"

As mentioned above, the link below shares the day in a life of a street evangelist in the slums of Rio de Janeiro.  How would you like to have his job?  He gets scared when the bullets fly, but he's more afraid of not doing what God has called him to do.  Check it out here:

http://commissionstories.com/?p=25

Everyone is encouraged to take TWO copies of the Lee Strobel book, The Case For Easter.  They are available in the church lobby.  One copy is for you to read and the other copy is to give away to someone you know who does not know Jesus Christ.  While you are at it, invite them to join you for church on Easter!  Pray that God would open the eyes and hearts of unbelieving, perishing people that they would no longer see the cross as foolishness but truly see it as the power of God!

From Barnes & Noble's website:

Of the many world religions, only one claims that its founder returned from the grave. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the very cornerstone of Christianity. But a dead man coming back to life? In our sophisticated age, when myth has given way to science, who can take such a claim seriously? Some argue that Jesus never died on the cross. Conflicting accounts make the empty tomb seem suspect.sHow credible is the evidence for the resurrection? Focusing his award-winning skills as a legal journalist on history's most compelling enigma, Lee Strobel retraces the startling findings that led him from atheism to belief. Drawing on expert testimony first shared in his blockbuster book The Case for Christ, Strobel examines: The Medical Evidence — Was Jesus' death a sham and his resurrection a hoax? The Evidence of the Missing Body — Was Jesus' body really absent from his tomb? The Evidence of Appearances — Was Jesus seen alive after his death on the cross? Written in a hard-hitting journalistic style, The Case for Easter probes the core issues of the resurrection. Jesus Christ, risen from the dead: superstitious myth or life-changing reality? The evidence is in. The verdict is up to you.